Father of Reece Tansey in court for harassing his former partner

Reece Tansey was killed in May 2021 on Walker Avenue, Great Lever.

Reece was stabbed to death by 16-year-old James White, who was convicted of murdering him and jailed for a minimum of 15 years while his accomplice, Mark Nuttall, aged 15, who was found guilty of manslaughter was sentenced to six years.

The teenagers, who did not know Reece, had met him in the middle of the night for a fight after an argument on social media.

Reece and Laura Tansey (Image: UGC)

Bolton Crown Court heard that in January this year, before the sentencing, Reece’s father Ian Nice approached his former partner Laura Tansey in Morrisons in Bolton Town Centre.

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Ellen Shaw, prosecuting, said: “He was verbally abusive calling her a rat and a slag and that she murdered their son.”

The following day he damaged her car by throwing a foamy substance, believed to be paint stripper, on it.

And two days later he used an intimate picture of Ms Tansey, given to him when they were together, made it his Whatsapp display picture and messaged her to let her know this had taken place.

Nice, 46, appeared in court to be sentenced for criminal damage, threatening behaviour and disclosing intimate pictures without consent. He admitted the charges at an earlier court appearance.

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Ms Shaw said his former partner was caused “alarm and distress” by the offences and said “she wants some space and for the defendant to be out of her life.”

Ian Nice with Reece (Image: UGC)

Michael Johnson, defending, said he had expressed “appropriately and sincerely” the “shame” he felt for the way he had acted, and asked for a community order to be imposed.

Judge Eliot Knopf said: “The last thing that Laura Tansey needed however you may have felt at the time was to have you approach her as you did on January 10 and subject her to abusive comments.

“The last thing she needed was you to cause damage to her car.

“The last thing she needed was for you to disclose what was provided to you as a private image from when you were in a relationship with her.

“The last thing you needed was to be back before the courts facing a potential custodial sentence.”

He made Nice, from Holcombe Crescent, subject to a community order for a year, ordered him to attend at 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days and placed him on a curfew requiring him to remain at home between the hours of 7pm and 7am for five months.

He also imposed a restraining order banning Nice from contacting his former partner for five years.

Nice said after the sentence had been imposed: “I am sorry for being here today.

“I see a different life for myself I need to get help and support.”