Inverness woman targeted by sinister messages from ex partner
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An Edinburgh man who ignored a five-year non-harassment order (NHO) to protect his ex partner repeatedly contacted her when he was drunk and sent sinister messages to her.
Inverness Sheriff Court heard that 47-year-old plant operator Iain Macrae, of Broombank Terrace, Broomhall, contacted or attempted to contact the Inverness woman between April 10 last year and December 2.
He admitted the breach of the NHO offence, which was imposed for a previous domestic abuse offence, at Inverness Sheriff Court and appeared for sentence by Sheriff Gary Aitken.
The sheriff said Macrae "narrowly" escaped jail and instead imposed 200 hours of unpaid community work and placed him under two years of social work supervision with an alcohol treatment requirement.
He also put in place another five-year NHO.
One message after the couple split read: "I am back, not for long but you will pay." He also sent her some screenshot images, one of which was of her son and accused her on social media of "sleeping with other men".
When charged by police, Sheriff Aitken heard Macrae replied: "I don't remember. I was drinking."
Sheriff Aitken told Macrae's solicitor Duncan Henderson: "There is a simple way of making him comply (with the NHO) by me keeping him away from drink.
"There is no excuse for repeatedly contacting your ex partner when alcohol brings out the nastiness in your character. Let me assure you, if you appear before me again for breaching this order, you will be jailed for the maximum period."
