'I hope you die,' rapper told partner in stream of 100 abusive texts

A RAPPER who sent his partner abusive messages and threatened to burn down their home because she was not “paying him sufficient attention” has been spared a jail sentence.

James Vyse, of Rumbridge Street, Totton, sent more than 100 texts to Yasmin Warry in which he called her a “slag” and said: “I hope you die”, Southampton Crown Court heard.

But Judge Paul Dunkels decided sending Vyse to prison would be “unjust” as the defendant looked after the couple’s five-year-old daughter so Ms Warry could study accountancy. He was doing well on a probation programme as part of a suspended sentence order, he noted.

Vyse is known as a rapper who performs drum and bass tracks under the name of Vyse-MC.

Prosecutor Martyn Booth told the court police were called by Ms Warry while out with a friend on 9th July because she had received abusive and threatening texts from Vyse.

“He had been making various threats to burn the house down and she went on to explain she was really rather scared as a result of those threats and fearful to be at the property as she genuinely felt he might carry the threats out,” Mr Booth said.

He said Ms Warry described the texts to police as “random”, with some comprising a single word such as “slag” or “rat”.

Another read: “I’m going to burn your house down you f***ing slag.”

Ms Warry phoned police a second time later that afternoon, Mr Booth continued, and said she had returned to her property to find it in a state of “disarray”.

A window had been smashed and a vacuum cleaner broken, he said, adding: “It had been trashed, to a certain extent.”

At the time of the offences, Mr Booth said, Vyse (31) was the subject of a 12-month suspended prison sentence handed to him in February.

He had admitted being concerned in the supply of cannabis after police caught him in possession of 38 deal bags of the class B drug.

Vyse appeared before the court on Tuesday having pleaded guilty to charges of harassment and criminal damage as well as breaching the suspended sentence order.

Judge Dunkels noted that breach meant he had a duty to impose an immediate custodial sentence – unless he found it was “unjust”.

Defending, Richard Martin argued it was unjust, pointing out the two new offences normally would not result in a prison term. He said Vyse had been doing well on his suspended sentence programme but his drinking needed addressing.

He also had difficulties dealing with a “domestic setting”, which stemmed from being the victim of an aggravated robbery during which Vyse was hit on the head with a hammer in his own home.

Mr Martin explained Vyse and Ms Warry had been in a long-term relationship but at the time of the offending it had hit a “bad patch” and turned “argumentative” while Ms Warry had been stressed studying accountancy.

Vyse now recognised that, Mr Martin said, explaining: “He had been upset she wasn’t paying him sufficient attention.”

Ms Warry wanted Vyse back and had tried to recant her complaints, Mr Martin revealed. They were going to reconcile and because of that the prosecution did not apply for a restraining order.

Sentencing a tearful Vyse, Judge Dunkels said: “I am bound to activate the sentence unless clearly it would be unjust to do so.

“I find it would be unjust to so in this case – but do not think that’s likely to happen if you breach it again.”

He extended the suspended prison sentence term to 15 months, fined Vyse £50 and ordered he do 33 sessions of a building better relationships probation course.

Just hours after avoiding jail on Tuesday Vyse was promoting a new venture – the Tribal Drum Syndicate – on his Vyse-MC Facebook page.