A controlling abuser faked his own death after threatening to murder his former partner in a series of chilling text messages.
Offshore worker Ryan Brown posed as someone else to tell his ex that he had killed himself after she ignored his DMs.
He said: “His body was found 10 minutes ago, it looks like he hanged himself.”
The creep, who has previous convictions for domestic abuse, repeatedly accused the woman of cheating on him and sent her photos of him self-harming.
Brown is now behind bars after pleading guilty at Dundee Sheriff Court to engaging in an abusive course of behaviour between March 22 and 23 on St Mungo Terrace and Clepington Road, Dundee.
He is also banned from contacting the woman for the next decade.
‘Thoroughly unpleasant’
Sheriff Alastair Carmichael said: “The threats which you made were of a thoroughly unpleasant nature and must have caused this lady a large amount of distress and concern.”
The court heard how Brown, 36, and the woman had been in a two-month relationship after meeting on Tinder.
Prosecutor Lora Apostolova said the first incident was sparked after Brown refused to leave her home on St Mungo Terrace following an argument about their relationship.
“The complainer left to take her dog for a walk and called her mother to ask for help,” Ms Apostolova said.
“Her mother collected her at Lidl on Macalpine Road and the complainer received three calls from the accused asking her if she was seeing someone else.
“The complainer’s mother went back to the address and told the accused to leave, locking the door behind her. She then stayed at the address with the complainer.”
However, matters escalated when Brown began to bombard the woman with WhatsApp messages throughout the course of the evening and then into the next morning.
Among the dozens of texts, Brown said: “Fine, don’t love me and don’t want to be with me. Rest in peace.
“You will be getting a bullet when I come back, I promise you. When I see you I am shooting you dead.
“If you keep this issue going I will murder you. Call me right now.”
Hoax suicide
Just after 1.40pm on March 23, Brown made the bogus suicide threats to which the woman responded: “Ryan I swear to god if this is some sick joke.”
Brown added: “No I’m sorry, will send you a reference code. We have found his body, he has hanged himself.
“Family are being informed, you were his next of kin.”
However, Brown then revealed he was behind those messages before sending her a photo of his lacerated arm.
Police were contacted and Brown was found outside the woman’s home.
‘Ashamed’
Brown, a prisoner of HMP Perth, admitted repeatedly sending abusive messages to the woman, threatening to kill her, threatening to kill himself if she didn’t phone him and sending photographs of him self-harming.
Solicitor Jim Caird said Brown had endured a “difficult” period on remand at Perth Prison after contracting covid-19.
“Appalling and nasty things were said,” he told Sheriff Alastair Carmichael.
“He is ashamed and embarrassed about all of this, under the influence of alcohol.
“He was quite emotionally invested in the relationship. He came home from offshore and there were arguments.
“He fully accepts the relationship is completely over.”
Brown was sentenced to 14 months in prison and placed on a non-harassment order for 10 years.
