A Bradford solicitor, convicted of threatening behaviour, escaped custody yesterday but is still facing an uncertain future.

Legal representatives for Tariq Majid, 43, lodged an appeal against his conviction after magistrates sentenced him to a 12-month community order, with 240 hours of unpaid work, and ordered him to pay £600 costs and a £60 surcharge.

Father-of-two Majid, of Hopefield Way, Bierley, Bradford, appeared before Leeds magistrates for sentence yesterday after he was convicted of a section four public order threat of violence offence, and the breach of a non-molestation order against his former partner Uzma Tariq.

Prosecutor Lauren Prentice told the court Miss Tariq had been shopping in Bradford with her children, on October 2 last year and saw the defendant, who called to the children. She saw him in a second supermarket car park and panicked. Miss Tariq called a friend, Zawar Razvi, who drove behind her as she made her way home.

In Towngate, Wyke, she saw the defendant running alongside her car, shouting: “I’ll kill you.” She was shaking and panicking. Majid was hurling abuse at Mr Rizvi, saying: “I’ll kill you, I’ll burn your house down.”

He made similar threats in a phone call to Mr Rizvi’s wife, leaving her terrified.

Questioned by police, Majid said he had not seen his children for three months. He saw them waving and responded.

Majid’s barrister, Stephen Couch, said the consequences for his client would be drastic. He had qualified as a solicitor late in life, but his future now rested with the Solicitors Regulatory Authority.

Mr Couch said: “As well as being a loving and devoted father, he was a wise and well respected lawyer.

“His financial situation is dire. he has no money, is £3,000 in debt and is living at the behest of friends.

“He is desperately hoping the SRA will issue something short of a suspension or a striking off, that hope may well be in vain.”

Chairman of the Bench Linda Burgess said their initial view had been to impose a prison term, but they felt they could deal with the matter with a community sentence.

They made a restraining order for 12 months, prohibiting Majid from contacting Umar Tariq and not to enter her address.

His solicitor, Atta Rehman, of Harris Solicitors, in Bradford, said his client was appealing against his conviction.

After the case Majid thanked friends and colleagues for their support and said that he loved his children.

“I think about them every day,” he said.