A STREET drinker who threatened to rape a court witness has been jailed for a year.

Carl O'Conner told his victim he would rape her if she gave evidence against his friend, York Crown Court heard yesterday (May 31).

The 25-year-old, of New Millgate, Selby, had pleaded guilty to intimidating a witness on the day his trial was due to start at York Crown Court in April.

Austin Newman, prosecuting, said the victim and her husband had complained to police about problems they were having with a neighbour in Selby called Shaun Proctor.

The dispute had seen Proctor expose himself to the woman and he was convicted before magistrates in July last year.

In the meantime, O'Conner spotted the couple while riding his bike in Selby at around 6pm on June 15.

Mr Newman said: "The defendant was known to both of them. They knew him as acquainted with Shaun Proctor."

O'Conner told the woman: "If you go to court against Shaun, I will rape you, you slag."

The defendant was reported to police and arrested the next day. He was later identified by the couple via a video identity parade.

Mr Newman said the woman received treatment for depression and anxiety after the incident.

He added that O'Conner had "numerous previous convictions".

Michael Rawlinson, defending, said O'Conner was a street drinker, who sometimes slept rough.

He said: "It's a very ugly offence. He knows that. The only mercy is that he saw sense on the day of his trial."

Mr Rawlinson added: "There's no suggestion that this was anything other than a chance encounter.

"In a fog of drunkenness, he said the words that he said. Now he doesn't really remember a great deal about it."

O'Conner's threat had not stopped the woman giving evidence against Proctor.

Mr Rawlinson said his client needed eight or nine cans of lager and strong drink to function each day.

"He has a pathetic and wretched existence," he said. "If he doesn't do something about it, he's going to be dead by the time he is 30."

O'Conner was fearful of going to jail and had broken a long habit by not drinking that morning.

Judge Deborah Sherwin told O'Conner his victim "must have been very upset" by what he had done.

She said: "Anything that interferes with witnesses or is designed to do so is a very serious matter."

As well as jailing O'Conner for 12 months, Judge Sherwin imposed a restraining order forbidding him to contact the couple.