Ian Mason was sent back to prison this week after threatening to throw acid in his ex-girlfriend’s face
CCTV footage showing Ian Mason robbing Ladbrokes in Tuebrook(Image: Merseyside Police )
A gun-wielding thug left women cowering in fear in Ladbrokes after bursting in with an imitation firearm, but was caught when his hood fell down. Ian Mason was sent back to prison this week after threatening to throw acid in his ex-girlfriend’s face, warning her that his attack would leave her “sizzled” following the breakdown of their short term fling.
His “disgraceful, calculated and mean” campaign of harassment also saw him threaten to shoot members of his former partner’s family, stab her dad and set fire to his van. It represents the latest entry in a criminal record which dates back more than 15 years, most notably including a terrifying gang robbery motivated by a £500 drug binge at a party.
Liverpool Crown Court heard on Thursday, that Mason began a relationship with his victim, who the ECHO has chosen not to name, in December last year after knowing each other for around nine months, although this only lasted until mid-January. The 34-year-old defendant, of Abberley Road in Halewood, was said to have been “disrespectful” to her while they were together, including “calling her fat” and making “further negative comments about her appearance”.
Olivia Randell, prosecuting, described how Mason would then “apologise and love bomb her” but also “tell her she was the evil one” and claim that he was “only reacting to her behaviour”. He also “caused her to cut off her friends”, while she was left feeling unable to use her phone in his presence due to him checking who she was messaging.
Mason would meanwhile accuse her of sleeping with other men before his “behaviour worsened” following their split, issuing a series of threats in text messages. This saw him tell her that he “was going to jail over her” and would throw acid in her face, warning her she would “get sizzled”.
Having threatened to murder her and then take his own life, Mason also warned her that he would set her dad’s van on fire and stab her father, as well as making threats to shoot and kill her family members. He was subsequently arrested at a hotel after being reported to the police, later telling detectives under interview that their relationship was “toxic”.
But Mason also “invented allegations of her owing him money” and branded her a “psychopath”, adding: “I admit I have done this, but I never hurt her. I love her.”
In a statement which was read to the court on her behalf, the complainant said: “The impact this has had on me has been devastating and is something I’m still living with every single day. This is because of him, the way he treated me, manipulated me and lied to me.
“Over such a small amount of time, it broke me down and made me change the way I feel about the world around me. There have been times where I’ve been too scared to leave my house, because I genuinely believed I was in danger. Fear has completely changed parts of my life.
“I feel overwhelmed, anxious and emotionally exhausted most of the time. I struggle to cope with how I feel on a daily basis. I’ve experienced suicidal thoughts as a result of this. There have been moments where I’ve felt completely hopeless.
“I don’t sleep properly any more. I replay everything and wake up feeling drained and exhausted. I’ve stopped working and have withdrawn from my life. I feel isolated and disconnected from the world around me. I struggle to trust anyone. What I was put through has changed how I see people.
“This has affected my relationship with the people closest to me. I became distant from my friends. Emotionally, I feel like I’ve lost who I was. The person I was before this has completely gone. I feel like a shadow of myself. It has changed me as a person, and I believe it will stay with me for a long time.”
Appearing via video link to HMP Liverpool, Mason was seen with his face down on the table in front of him and shaking his head as her account was read out. He has 21 previous convictions for 38 charges, including receiving six years for robbery and possession of an imitation firearm in 2010.
The ECHO previously reported that this saw a then 18-year-old Mason burst into a branch of Ladbrokes on West Derby Road in Tuebrook with two hooded accomplices before brandishing the weapon towards three terrified female members of staff, forcing them to hide underneath a counter. He and one of the other raiders approached the counter and demanded cash from the till as the third offender stood guard at the entrance.
They were said to have stolen around £500, although Mason’s identity was ultimately revealed when his hood fell down as they fled the bookmakers and led to his face being captured on CCTV. Although the firearm was never recovered, his barrister would later tell a court that the robbers had run up a £500 drug debt at a party the previous evening, resulting in them taking drastic measures.
Ian Mason pictured when he was jailed in 2010(Image: Merseyside Police)
Mason’s most recent appearance came in 2020, when he was handed a community order for a racially aggravated public order offence. Simran Garcha, defending, told the court on his behalf: “At the time, Mr Mason was involved in an affair with the victim whilst he was also in a relationship with another female. When the victim indicated an intention to expose their relationship, he reacted in a highly inappropriate and regrettable manner and accepts entirely that his conduct was completely wrong. He maintains that, whilst those threats in those messages were serious, he had no intention of carrying out those threats.
“He had a profoundly difficult upbringing. He was one of 12 children, raised in a household characterised by alcohol misuse. From a young age, at around nine or 10, he was often forced to leave the family home.
“At times, he had to steal food simply to survive. There was little structure, guidance or parental support at a young age. That inevitably shaped his development and normalised the substance abuse that has persisted in his adult life.
“I have to accept that his record is poor. However, many of the offences on his record were committed when he was a youth and must be viewed against the background of a chaotic and deprived upbringing. He tells me that he has never spoken or behaved in this way to a woman before.
“He has demonstrated that he is capable of leading a law abiding life when his circumstances are more stable. He struggles with his mental health. Although not formally diagnosed with any condition, he does feel extreme highs and extreme lows.”
Mason, who wore a grey Nike t-shirt, admitted engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour and stalking involving fear of violence. He was again seen shaking his head as he was jailed for 28 months and handed a 15-year restraining order on Thursday.
Ian Mason, of Abberley Road in Halewood, aged 34(Image: Merseyside Police)
Sentencing, Judge Ian Harris said: “She says that the impact of your behaviour on her has been devastating. The way you manipulated and belittled her broke her down. She no longer feels safe.
“She has constant fear and anxiety and occasionally feels completely hopeless. She has stopped working and has withdrawn from her social life. She says that she feels isolated and disconnected. She says that she feels emotionally lost.
“You have largely accepted your responsibility for your actions, but nonetheless blamed her for provoking you. You have a long standing history of substance misuse, including class A drugs. You do not have any official diagnosis of any mental health issues although you say that you suffer from bipolar symptoms, although you do not want to take any medication.
“In my judgement, adequate punishment can only be achieved by immediate custody. What you did to her and her family was utterly disgraceful, calculated and mean.”