Fife man launched stalking campaign against estranged wife

A 41-year-old man began a stalking campaign against his estranged wife after she left him.

George Heggie blocked her driveway, removed a number plate from her car, put a chain over the wheel and also put a banana in the exhaust pipe of the car she was using.

He had also previously assaulted her.

Heggie’s offending occurred after his wife left their home and moved back in with her parents.

He began turning up at her parents’ home and also her place of the work in Cupar.

Heggie, 41, of Carden Avenue, Cardenden, appeared for sentencing at Dunfermline Sheriff Court.

He had admitted that on an occasion between October 1 and November 30 2018, he assaulted his then partner,

He also admitted that on various occasions between March 7 and April 1 last year at Carden Avenue, Carden Castle Park, both Cardenden, at Kettle Produce, Balmacolm, Cupar and elsewhere, he engaged in stalking behaviour which cause her fear or alarm.

He attended uninvited at her home, stated he had taken tablets and had cut himself.

He shouted, swore, uttered offensive remarks to her, repeatedly attended her place of work, used his car to block the driveway of her home, put a banana in the exhaust pipe of a car she was using, removed the registration plates from her car and put a chain on one of its wheels.

The court was told the couple had been together from 1997 to last year and are now divorced.

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When arrested, Heggie told police, “I didn’t think I’d done anything wrong. I didn’t know it was classed as stalking.”

Sheriff Charles Macnair told Heggie, “This was an extensive period of stalking. These were not off-the-cuff incidents and must have involved planning.

“It was quite clear that your wife didn’t want anything more to do with you. From the attitude shown by you it’s no wonder she left. The only wonder is she stayed with you as long.”

The sheriff imposed a community payback order with two years of supervision, a seven-month restriction of liberty order and a two-year non-harassment order.