A KEITH MAN who sent a series of bizarre and frightening texts to a woman he barely knew landed in court this week – and only just escaped a jail sentence on stalking charges.
Christopher Jamieson, 30, appeared in Elgin where Sheriff Chris Dickson heard the accused admit that he had caused Angela Russell fear and alarm by threatening her with violence if she did not talk and engage in a relationship with him.
The court learned that the first text Jamieson sent was on March 1 last year, when he ended a message with “If you don’t talk to me you better watch yourself”. After not receiving any response from Ms Russell, he sent another three hours later that ended “You have 10 minutes to text me and if you don’t you will take the consequences”.
Further texts followed ten days later before a final text on March 25 contained yet more threats that Ms Russell could no longer ignore so she contacted the police, resulting in Jamieson’s arrest on March 27.
Procurator Fiscal Kevin Corrins told the court: “There was no build-up to any form of relationship at the time, Ms Russell thought these texts were particularly odd.”
Speaking in defence of Jamieson, solicitor Robert Cruickshank said that his client was a “hard drinking man” and that he had been intoxicated when sending the texts.
Sheriff Dickson said that he was “only just” persuaded not to impose a jail sentence by reports that Jamieson had expressed regret and now posed a minimal risk. Instead he ordered Jamieson to undertake 300 hours of unpaid work as part of a community payback order and forbid him from contacting Ms Russell for three years.
He said: “Stalking is very serious and your conduct was distressing for your victim, particularly when referencing her children and deceased parents.”