A man who waited outside a courtroom to threaten a Judge also subjected his ex-partner and her mother to months of harassment, a court heard.
Christopher Gorman, of Denman Drive, Fairfield, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday in relation to three separate sets of offences. He previously pleaded guilty to threatening behaviour, breaching a non-molestation order, two counts of harassment, two counts of stalking, and two counts of intimidating a witness.
The 37-year-old was found guilty after a trial conducted in his absence of harassment, breaching a restraining order, and threatening a witness. Christopher Taylor, prosecuting, detailed that on April 29 last year, Gorman was in court in St Helens in relation to a non-molestation order that his former partner had applied for against him.
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Deputy District Judge Robert Akers resided over the application, and due to Gorman’s “disruptive behaviour” throughout the proceedings, he was eventually told to leave. The hearing continued in his absence, and an interim non-molestation order was granted.
Gorman waited in St Helens city centre on Barrow Street at around lunchtime, and when Judge Akers left the courthouse, the defendant was waiting for him. He shouted: “Judge, Judge, did you make the order then or what?”, and the Judge told him firmly he must wait for the official notification to find out.
In his written statement to police, Judge Akers said Gorman was loud and acted aggressively, and he was concerned he may be violent. Gorman continued: “You only listened to her and not me.
He then threatened the judge saying: “You had better watch out” or “you had better watch it”. Judge Akers did not provide a victim personal statement but in his statement to police, he said: “I had treated him with respect and courtesy, and he had failed to show the same to me or the court.
“It is utterly unacceptable that I, as a Judge, should have been harassed in the streets.” He said the experience was “intimidating and frightening”.
At this point in proceedings, Recorder David Knifton KC interjected and said he was surprised this was not charged as contempt of court, as he believed it should have been. Gorman was arrested on June 8, and accepted in interview that he waited outside and wanted to know what had happened with the non-molestation order, but denied telling the Judge to watch out.
He also accepted that it would have been intimidating. In relation to the later charges, Mr Taylor explained that Charlotte Karimi and Gorman share a baby together, and that child sometimes stayed at Ms Karimi’s mother, Christina Birney’s address in Huyton.
Ms Karimi believed someone was telling Gorman when the baby was at that address, as he would sometimes show up there. On March 20 last year, he appeared at Ms Birney’s address at around 11am, banged on her windows and kicked the door.
He said:“Get my f***ing son out now”, called her a “f***ing grass”, and “f***ing rat”. Gorman continued: “Your windows are getting hammered and your doors are getting battered.”
Her partner, Adrian Price, took a picture of Gorman outside the property and the police were called, but he had left by the time they arrived. He returned at 10.30pm but had changed into darker clothing, though wore the same Under Armour cap as earlier.
He shouted further abuse, calling the victim a “grass” again. Police attended but once again he had left by the time they arrived.
On April 24, at 2.45pm, Ms Birney and her partner Mr Price were on a bus in Huyton when Gorman got on and began to shout abuse at them. He yelled: “Watch what I am going to do to your house.
“Tell Jack if he talks about my son, watch what I do to your house.” On May 20, the same two victims were on the same bus at 11.20am, seated on the lower level, when Gorman came downstairs.
Again, he shouted “watch what happens to your house, come on Aid, get off the bus now watch what I do to you.” The victims reported feeling embarrassed as “everyone on the bus was looking at them”.
Gorman was interviewed in relation to these incidents on June 8, and answered no comment to all questions put to him before being released with conditions not to contact or attend at Ms Birney’s address. Mr Taylor explained that Ms Karimi and Gorman had been in a relationship for three years, and she described it as starting well but changing after she became pregnant.
She said he became abusive and violent, to the extent that she had to move into a women’s refuge. Despite this, he would find out where she lived and continue to verbally abuse her, so she had to move again and get a non molestation order against him.
Between June and July, he sent a series of abusive and threatening messages to Ms Karimi including on June 24 when he said he would “cut her face open”. On another date in July, he told her to “get to the police station and tell them that you are lying.”
In November, at a hearing in the family court, he was difficult throughout and muted. During proceedings, he said: “I am going to murder her, I am going to take her head off”.
He was arrested on January 6, 2023 and said all charges were false in a prepared statement. In a victim personal statement written by Ms Birney and read by Mr Taylor, she detailed that the continued harassment has made her nervous to leave her house or go out in the local area.
It read: “It makes me feel paranoid about what he might do to my family and friends.” Ms Birney said she is worried she is being watched so that he can do damage when she leaves the house.
She has also asked to move house in order to avoid him. Ms Karimi also gave a detailed personal victim personal statement which was read to the court.
Ms Karimi said: “At first the relationship was fine and we got on really well, but he changed when I got pregnant, he wanted me to get rid of the baby.” She detailed how he became extremely controlling and abusive, and attempted to control what she ate, drank, and wore every day, numerous times a day.
The victim said there were times when he would be standing over her and screaming in her face, and generally putting her down. She said he made her “feel useless and pathetic”, and the abuse “got worse when the baby was born” which “I didn't think was possible”.
“Every opportunity he got to abuse me, he did. “He told me I was ugly, and told me to go and die.”
Gorman has 23 previous convictions for 32 offences, including assault by beating in a domestic violence setting from 2018, and a public order offence in 2021, involving Ms Birney. He shouted demands for money, punched and kicked at her door of her address, and made threats to burn down her home.
For that offence he was given a community order, but breached it and eventually served an eight week prison sentence. Callum Ross, defending, said his client understands these offences warrant an immediate custodial sentence.
He said Gorman has made “positive progress over the last few months” and is making productive use of his time in custody. He has a job as a healthcare orderly in prison and is an enhanced prisoner.
Mr Ross said: “He is very upset to be in the position that he is in. “He would like to receive any help that he can to become a better person and a better father.”
He also detailed that Gorman has depression and anxiety, but understands this is no excuse. Mr Ross continued: “After everything he wants to remain on the straight and narrow”.
In sentencing, Recorder Knifton KC said: “Understandably the Deputy District Judge was clearly concerned for his safety. “This was a disgraceful and deliberate attempt to intimidate a judge acting in his public duty.
“You have a bad criminal record. “I accept that you were upset and frustrated over what you saw as attempts to prevent you seeking contact with your son.
“However, during interview you spent much of the time blaming your victims.” He added: “You have shown utter contempt for the law and the courts and the utter disregard for court orders.
Gorman was sentenced to five years imprisonment.
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