Shamed Mutiny contestant who harassed his ex-girlfriend with calls and texts and threatened to throw ACID on her is spared jail
- The 32-year-old bombarded Charlotte Cooper with nearly 100 calls and texts
- He showed up and harassed her at her home in West Drayton, London in October
- Jacks, originally from Liverpool, was handed 18 week suspended sentence
- Was forced to leave Channel 4 reality show for clashing with crew members
Shamed reality TV star Chris Jacks has been found guilty of harassing his ex-girlfriend and threatening to throw acid on her.
Chris Jacks has been found guilty of harassing his ex-girlfriend and threatening to throw acid on her
The 32-year-old, who starred in Channel 4 show Mutiny, bombarded former partner Charlotte Cooper with nearly 100 calls and texts in the five days after they split.
He then turned up at her home after their five-month relationship ended and begged to be taken back - before threatening to attack her with the corrosive substance.
Air hostess Ms Cooper fell pregnant not long into the relationship but had an abortion because of the sailor's controlling and verbally abusive nature, a court heard.
Jacks, originally from Liverpool, featured in Channel 4's Mutiny earlier this year.
The show saw a crew of nine sailing 3,600 miles across the Pacific in a small wooden vessel, repeating the 1789 feat of Capt William Bligh after the infamous Mutiny on the Bounty voyage.
The 32-year-old, who starred in Channel 4 show Mutiny, bombarded former partner Charlotte Cooper with nearly 100 calls and texts in the five days after they split in Septeber and continued to harass her in October
The team was captained by former SBS adventurer Ant Middleton who shot to fame as lead instructor in the reality show SAS: Who Dares Wins.
Jacks was a divisive figure who clashed with other members of the crew and eventually left during the voyage.
The court was told in one day Jacks called the victim 57 times from nine different numbers and left 19 voicemails.
He went to Ms Cooper's home in West Drayton, London, on October 31 and shouted through the letterbox 'I don't deserve this'.
Jacks was charged with one count of harassment between October 10 and October 31.
At Uxbridge Magistrates Court he appeared in the dock wearing a black fleece jumper, black jeans and carrying a rucksack.
Jacks, originally from Liverpool, featured in Channel 4's Mutiny earlier this year. The show saw a crew of nine sailing 3,600 miles across the Pacific in a small wooden vessel. But Jacks walked away from the show after becoming notoriously unpopular for his antics
He wept in the dock after pleading guilty when magistrates suspended his 18-week prison sentence for 12 months.
Melissa Garner, prosecuting, said: 'The victim was in a relationship with the defendant which started in April this year.
'The relationship ended in September and she was then contacted by the defendant in a number of phone calls, some were recorded.
'Some were threatening about an acid attack.
Magistrates were told Jacks, who also works for a hotel in central London and is lining up a new show on the Discovery Channel, was verbally abusive during the relationship
'On October 25 he contacted her 57 times, from a number of mobile numbers.
'On October 26 he contacted her about three times to say he was coming round to her address.
'On October 30 he contacted her 36 times.'
Magistrates were told Jacks, who also works for a hotel in central London and is lining up a new show on the Discovery Channel, was verbally abusive during the relationship.
Jacks was handed a restraining order not to contact Ms Cooper directly or indirectly for five years
Ms Garner added: 'Although they did not live together she fell pregnant in August but had a termination because she was not happy with him.
'He was controlling over the relationship and verbally abusive.
'She says she had to have therapy when she was with him.
'They split up in September and since then he called from different numbers at different times of day, she didn't answer most of them but when she did she hung up on him.
'She says she changed her number twice but he kept finding it and keeps emailing her.
'She told him to stop but he kept doing it.
'On October 1 at 9pm he called again, her friend answered and he was put on speakerphone, saying about how much he loved her and how he was in a really bad place and was crying.
Charlotte Cooper said she had to have therapy while she was in a relationship with Jacks because of his controlling ways
'He was annoyed she was seeing someone else who he worked with, saying "tell me the truth, have you moved on with some else? Who is this lad, why would you do this? You're a scumbag, Watch what I'm going to do, you best be scared".
'She says he said he was going to be at her house and kept talking about an acid attack, she asked him what he meant but he would not answer.
'On October 31 he attended her home address at 11.30pm. He called through the letterbox "just let me in I want to talk, I love you, I don't deserve this".
'She called the police.'
The court heard Jacks had no previous history of similar offences but did have convictions of battery, theft for stealing a wine bottle, and possession of cannabis, cocaine and heroin between 1999 and 2004.
He was a salesman but after three months jail in 2004 and decided to turn his life around.
The court heard Jacks had no previous history of similar offences but did have convictions of battery, theft and possession of cannabis, cocaine and heroin between 1999 and 2004
He learned to sail and eventually completed a round Britain voyage solo.
He will be competing in the Golden Globe Race next year, sailing solo non-stop around the world.
A statement by Ms Cooper, read to the court, said: 'I believed he was threatening he was going to attack me with acid and I believed he would carry it out.
'He was unpredictable and makes me scared.
'He also contacted my father, this makes me scared to leave my home or go to sleep at night.
'I used to wake up at night and fear he was in the street outside, like he did before.
'I was scared he would be waiting for me when I came through arrivals after work.'
A statement by Ms Cooper, read to the court, said: 'I believed he was threatening he was going to attack me with acid and I believed he would carry it out. He was unpredictable and makes me scared. He also contacted my father, which made me scared to leave my home'
Chair of the bench Sandra Joseph sentenced Jacks to 18 weeks in jail, suspended for a year with 80 hours unpaid work.
Jacks, of Tavistock Place, Camden, north London, was ordered to pay 85 costs and £115 victims surcharge.
He was handed a restraining order not to contact Ms Cooper directly or indirectly for five years.
Jacks's Twitter bio describes himself as a 'sailor, hiker, angler'.
The former sales manager served three months in prison at the age of 24 for failing to complete a community order.
After he was released, he decided to 'turn his life around' and quit his job.
During the Channel 4 documentary led by former SBS member Ant Middleton which aired in March, fans called for the Scouser to be booted off the show for challenging authority.
Most watched News videos
- Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn clash over the NHS in final PMQs
- Moment BMW driver tries to run motorist off road in Suffolk
- Shocking moment driver swerves directly into cyclist in hit-and-run
- Muggers who attempt to rob woman at cashpoint get their comeuppance
- That escalated quickly! Man hilariously slides between escalators
- Hammer blow: Woman's £325,000 house ruined after botched construction
- Fern Britton does a crossword with Eamonn on This Morning
- Crowds outside Leicester's Highcross as police break up fight
- 'Toff' confirms she's joining 'This Morning' in January
- Crocodile eats cow in front of shocked family
- Talented autistic boy stuns shoppers with his amazing singing voice
- The trailer to Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is released
- Police arrest 21 wanted suspects by tricking them into...
- Police launch murder probe after bodies of man and woman...
- Parents plead with magistrates not to jail son, 29, who...
- Disabled pensioner, 75, and his 46-year-old Latvian...
- Homeowner is set to sue estate agents after they sold him...
- 'I'd drunk ten pints so I didn't feel any pain... until...
- Angry homeowners blockade their road with bins to stop...
- ‘We are ruining young people’s lives, one after another’:...
- Pervert who asked ’15-year-old boy’ for pictures of him...
- Police appeal for help to find family of jogger fighting...
- 'She knows what I look like and the names of my...
- Grandmother, 74, 'was forced to sleep on baggage carousel...
- Autistic girl, nine, has her heart broken and tries to...
- Commons Deputy Speaker's daughter, 28, was found hanging...
- 'Mad Friday is living up to it's name, sadly': Bradford...
- 'You made this up!' Russian minister's tirade at Boris...
- Richard Keys' daughter denies bombarding her former...
- Britain faces a grey and mild Christmas Day with 54F...