A serial domestic offender has dodged jail after racking up his 17th conviction with a campaign of harassment against his ex.
Robert Russell bombarded the woman with texts and silent phone calls, threw stones at her window and left signs at her home that he had been there when she was out after failing to accept that their relationship was over.
Russell’s solicitor said many of the approaches were desperate pleas by the 27-year-old to get back with the woman, but eventually she became so frightened that police became involved.
Russell, of Newbigging Drive, Arbroath will now undergo a domestic abuse programme for the second time as part of a two-year Community Payback Order after engaging in the course of conduct which caused the woman fear and alarm.
He was also made the subject of a 24-month non-harassment order, banning him from having any contact with his victim.
Forfar sheriff court heard Russell and the woman had been together for around two years until February this year before she ended things.
Depute fiscal Jill Drummond said the woman was forced to block Russell’s number due to persistent phone calls, but she then began receiving five or six calls a day from an unknown number she suspected was the accused.
“He attended at her home uninvited almost daily, repeatedly banging on the door and throwing stones at her window,” added the fiscal.
After a night out in April the woman found items at the back door of her home which she suspected had been left by Russell, and over several following days received more than 50 emails from him.
Matters came to a head in April when the woman was in bed and heard stones being thrown at her bedroom window. Russell was outside and “verbals” were exchanged, but he refused to go away and the frightened woman called a friend, who came round to the house and saw the accused there.
Police were called and Russell was found hiding in the next door neighbour’s garden around half past one in the morning.
Solicitor Billy Rennie said: “There is no doubt Mr Russell has difficulties in dealing with the break-up of relationships.
“The majority of texts were, I would suggest, of a begging nature asking for the relationship to resume.”
