Lapland theme park conman Henry Mears has been spared another stretch in prison after being convicted of contempt of court.
He was charged after threatening Gary Lucie, the barrister who was prosecuting him on behalf of Dorset Trading Standards, at the start of his trial over the theme park scam.
Mears, 60, of Coombe Road, Brighton, denied the charge but was found guilty and sentenced to 28 days in prison suspended for a year.
He was told to pay £750 costs by Judge Carol Hagen at Bristol Crown Court.
Mr Lucie stood down as the prosecution barrister after he was threatened by Mears last November.
He said that Mears had told him that “mechanisms were in place” to hold responsible those who had brought the case to court.
He said that Mears’s body language and demeanour appeared threatening and a court official backed up his version of events.
Mr Lucie was so concerned that he reported the incident to the trial judge.
Judge Mark Horton decided that Mears should be prosecuted for contempt of court.
Concerned
Mears said that he had been polite and respectful but Judge Hagen today said that she regarded his words as a threat intended to interfere with the course of justice.
She accepted that Mears was genuinely concerned for the health of his older brother who was sitting at the back of the court feeling unwell when the threats were made.
Mears, along with his 67-year-old brother Victor, set up the Lapland theme park in the New Forest just before Christmas in 2008.
They set up a website to promote the venue and placed adverts in local newspapers, including The Argus, promising a “winter wonderland”.
The brothers promised visitors a bustling Christmas market, a magical tunnel of light, a wonderful ice rink and delicious hot and cold seasonal food.
Another promise said: “The attention to detail of our theme park will truly wow you.”
But the promises proved false and thousands of families complained that they had been ripped off after paying to visit the bogus attraction.
The Mears brothers blamed media reporting for their problems but were convicted of eight counts of misleading advertising.
Both men were jailed for 13 months in March although last month – three months after being sentenced – they were freed, subject to electronic tagging and a curfew.
