A MAN has been jailed after threatening First Choice Homes Oldham staff and to damage their headquarters in Union Street.

Gary Brookes, aged 29, of Old Road, Failsworth, was sentenced to 16 weeks imprisonment and given a restraining order banning him from the FCHO building for two years.

A spokeswoman for FCHO said on August 9 Brookes made a threat over the phone to commit serious damage to their Union Street building and those within it after a dispute over a debt he hadn’t paid.

Members of staff responded immediately by acting to protect both customers visiting the building and members of staff working inside. They then reported the incident to the police and the legal team at First Choice Homes.

Brookes was quickly arrested and pleaded guilty to the charges.

Dave Smith, executive director of Customer First at FCHO said: “While incidents like this are rare and the majority of our customers are responsible, peaceful and law abiding citizens, it’s important that when we have situations like this, our customers, staff and anyone visiting our headquarters can rest assured that we and the police will deal with it swiftly and seriously.

"Perpetrators of aggressive and violent behaviour will face the full force of the law risking criminal charges and imprisonment and civil legal action, putting their homes at risk.

“On behalf of our customers and staff I would like to thank our partners in GMP for their hard work and response in dealing with this particular situation so quickly and effectively.

“Following Mr Brookes’s conviction we have started eviction proceedings, this means that as well as serving a custodial sentence, Mr Brookes may also lose his home.”