A FRUSTRATED pensioner threatened to kill a council leader because he was upset about a controversial town centre revamp, a court heard.

Stephen Arthur Clegg left three phone messages within ten minutes for the leader of Darlington Borough Council about the Pedestrian Heart works.

Mr Clegg, 66, of Wordsworth Road, Darlington, had previously pleaded not guilty to three allegations of making threats to kill Councillor John Williams on September 4, last year.

Yesterday, the prosecution offered no evidence and asked for all the allegations to be dismissed at Peterlee Magistrates' Court.

Magistrates agreed and bound Mr Clegg over for 12 months in the sum of £100, not to make any threats to council members or employees.

James Willoughby, on behalf of Mr Clegg, said he had been drinking during the afternoon with a friend.

He said: "What had triggered the outburst was the town planning changes in Darlington in the pedestrian area.

"He had read the Town Crier, a council-published paper. This effectively triggered his response."

Mr Willoughby said his client had admitted he had drunk too much.

He said: "He has no recollection of making the calls. He is the only person living there. He was drunk and made these calls.

"There is a background to the offence. He had made some perfectly normal complaints to the council before, about his housing and neighbours, and may well have been frustrated.

"The effects of drink led to him making these phone calls."

Mr Willoughby said Mr Clegg did not know Coun Williams but directed his frustration at him because he is a public figurehead.

Mr Willoughby added: "He regrets what he said and apologises to the court, Coun Williams and the people at the council when the machine was played."

Paul Lee, prosecuting, said Coun Williams, who had been a councillor for 16 years, had returned to work on September 4 when he picked up the messages.

Mr Lee said: "The answering phone service at the town hall had recorded three messages from the previous Friday. Those three messages were recorded around 5pm in the space of five to ten minutes.

"They were all direct threats to John Williams on the face of it.

"They were threats clearly made by a man under the influence of alcohol and were clearly not direct threats to kill.

"It seems Mr Clegg was upset about the redevelopment in the town centre and he took it out on Coun Williams."

The calls were traced to Mr Clegg's home phone.

Mr Lee said: "The words are not favourable to Mr Clegg but did cause alarm to the person they were directed at."

Mr Clegg declined to comment following the case.

The Pedestrian Heart scheme has been mooted since 2001 and was approved in November 2002.

The £8.5m scheme has transformed the town centre from its former Victorian look since worked started in 2005.

The project has also proved controversial with problems including the timescale of work, shops closing because they said trade had dropped, problems with a gas main, and complaints from taxi drivers about the reduction of ranks.