A GIRL who threatened to burn down social services offices and kill a social worker who refused to let her see her boyfriend in prison has been urged to make a new life for herself.

Kayleigh Nicholls made the threats to her personal advisor in July after the worker was unable to tell her where her boyfriend was being held in prison.

And 19-year-old Nicholls, of Austell Way, made Caeris Clarke fear for her life by threatening to burn down the her office, the Plus One building on the Civic campus, and kill her or her colleague.

Swindon magistrates court heard yesterday how Nicholls had a troubled upbringing.

Pauline Lambert, prosecuting, said: “Ms Nicholls has a boyfriend who has been sent to prison and believed Caeris Clarke would be able to give her information about where he was.

“Because of protection of information she was unable to share that information with Ms Nicholls.

“It was because of this that she received messages directly to her work telephone. That was kept at the office and found when she came back after a weekend.

“The messages found contained threatening and abusive messages, and her colleague who she worked with also received a text message stating she [Nicholls] was armed and coming to the office.

“Ms Clarke felt scared and threatened about what Ms Nicholls might do.”

In the messages sent to the social worker, Nicholls said: “You lot are not going to get away with it. All I need is a light and a match and the building where you lot are. I will do it.

“I swear if the social worker doesn’t tell me where he is I will knock her out and kill you or her.”

Con Fernandes, defending, said Nicholls had been having problems since being taken into care at the age of five and raised concerns over her mental health.

“Her parents had been guilty of neglect of Ms Nicholls and her three siblings,” he said. “There were no parental figures and her current behaviour is a direct result of that. She is quite angry inside, I believe.

“This offence is a combination of background as well as the particular day. She had been with her boyfriend for five years and believed to be pregnant by him. He was sent to prison in Bullingdon. She needed to go and see him and thought the lady in question was going to give her the money to go.

“She had recieved a visiting order and as she could not go she became quite abusive.”

District Judge Simon Cooper, sentencing, said: “You are now at a stage where you need to start making a life for yourself. You have got help and support from dedicated people.

“This occasion of making threats to kill and burn down the social services building were believed and the fear that you caused is what I am dealing with. You pose a risk until you have been thoroughly looked at by probation and brought to understand that these things are wrong.”

Nicholls was given a community order for nine months supervised by the probation service and ordered to visit the attendance centre for a maximum of 24 hours.