A western Newfoundland man has been sent to jail for threatening to kill his wife, just a day after they were married.

Roy Patrick Mitchell, 53, has been sentenced to two years in jail, less a day, after pleading guilty to charges that included arson, assault and uttering threats.

According to an agreed statement of facts, Mitchell was intoxicated and became violent on Nov. 6 at a camper trailer near Pinchgut Lake that he shared with his wife, Darlene Uyvon Mitchell.

Court was told that Mitchell punched his wife in the head and on the arm, and then said to her, "I've killed people before and I would have no problem killing you."

He then poured kerosene inside the camper trailer while she was still in it.

Darlene Mitchell escaped, and caught the attention of a passerby who phoned the police. When RCMP officers arrived, the camper trailer was on fire. It subsequently was destroyed by fire.

The Crown had asked that Mitchell, who has prior convictions that include arson, be sentenced to 3.5 years in prison.
 
In a sentencing decision released Friday, Newfoundland Supreme Court Justice Gillian Butler, who heard the case in Corner Brook, said Mitchell should serve just under two years. His time served already amounts to 143 days.

Butler also has restricted Mitchell from owning a firearm for four years following his release from jail. He will also be put on probation for a two-year period.