A thug stole his ex-girlfriend’s dog and sent her a chilling message before driving her to a canal and threatening to drown her.

Peter Rimmer bombarded his former partner with pictures and videos of the stolen pet Nala over Snapchat after he broke into her house early in the morning. He warned her: “Better come home because I’ve got your dog.”

Rimmer then lured the hairdresser into his car under the false pretence the pooch was inside before subjecting her to a harrowing “ordeal” that left her “begging for her life.” During this time Rimmer assaulted her and threatened to deliberately crash the car while driving around Merseyside and West Lancashire during the incident.

Liverpool Crown Court heard on Wednesday afternoon that Rimmer, of Ribble Avenue, in Southport, had been in a relationship with Samantha Morris for five years before they split up. They went on to rekindle their relationship about three months before the incident and “told the defendant that she no longer wanted to date him because of his controlling behaviour.”

Prosecutor Ken Grant said how Ms Morris went on to visit a number of bars in the town on July 14. During the night out, her friends bumped into Rimmer inside a pub where they watched the European Championships final between England and Spain.

Rimmer, 25, then drove her home at about 11.30pm with there being “no issues between the parties that evening.” Ms Morris was then picked up by a friend about 30 minutes later.

But at about 2am on July 15, Rimmer started to call her and messaged her several times over Snapchat, saying “you had better answer, I’m on my way to yours.” About 20 minutes later, he rang her again and shouted: “Where are you? I’m on my way to yours. I’m going to wake your mum up.”

Ms Morris’ mum was woken up by a sound at the front door and could not find Nala when she went downstairs to investigate. Rimmer then sent a picture of the pet to Ms Morris, Mirror affiliate The Liverpool Echo reported.

During the drive, Rimmer grabbed her Apple watch from her wrist as well as snapping a silver necklace she had been wearing. When she knocked on the door of a nearby house for help he apologised “and said he would take her home.”

Ms Morris then agreed but Rimmer instead drove her down to a farm track where he ended up smashing her phone on a gate. He went on to push her head against a car door before continuing on to the canal, where he told her: “I’m going to drown you in the canal. If I can’t have you, no one can.”

She ended up begging for her life, after which he “eventually calmed down. He ultimately returned Ms Morris home at about 5am and recounted what happened to her mum.

Ms Morris then recorded a phone call with Rimmer later that day where he stated: “I’m going to get f****** sent to jail. Can you see CCTV of me kicking the door in?” A footmark and Rimmer’s blood was found on a hair salon, which operated adjacent to her home.

In a statement read out to the court, Ms Morris said: “Following the incident, I’ve had a reoccurring nightmare. During the nightmare, I dream about drowning. When I wake, I feel like I’ve been drowning.

“I suffer with anxiety now and don’t like being home alone. I used to like my company. My social life has almost returned to normal. However, when I’m out with friends, I make sure I’m never left alone.

“I’m concerned, when he’s released, that he will be living back in the same area as me. Generally, I’m ok. However, I still have bad days where I overthink everything and question why the defendant thought his behaviour was acceptable.”

Rimmer admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm, affray and two counts of criminal damage. Appearing in a video link to HMP Liverpool, Rimmer was jailed for two years and three months as well as being handed a restraining order by Judge Ian Harris.

For confidential support, call the 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Freephone Helpline on 0808 2000 247 or visit womensaid.co.uk. If you or your family have lost a friend or family member through fatal domestic abuse, AAFDA (Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse) can offer specialist and expert support and advocacy. For more info visit** www.aafda.org.uk**.

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