A former political hopeful who campaigned to clean up Westminster has admitted shoving his wife out of his house during a domestically aggravated outburst.
Former Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate Sanjay Samani erupted during a bitter row over work at the couple’s £640,000 nine-bedroom home in Alyth.
Perth Sheriff Court heard the property had been split in two and Mr Samani and his wife Claire were effectively next-door neighbours.
Samani, who received fewer votes than UKIP at the 2015 Angus North and Mearns election, appeared in the dock and admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner, likely to cause fear or alarm, at the Meethill Road property on January 5.
He was fined £315.
Electrician went to wrong door
Samani, of Bellefield Drive, Dundee, spent more than three years with the Lib Dems.
Before he left in 2015, he was GDPR Project Manager in charge of getting the party’s 100,000 members up to speed with data legislation.
He is now a project manager with a Edinburgh-based software firm.
Fiscal depute David Currie told the court: “The locus here was the family home, a substantial property in Alyth.
“It was essentially split in half while the accused the complainer were going through proceedings in another court.
“They had one side of the house each.”
Lighting dispute
He said: “At about 2.50pm, the complainer answered her door to an electrician who was there to do some work on indoor lighting.
“However, it transpired that that work was due to be carried out on Mr Samani’s side of the house.
“He was duly directed there.
“This piqued the complainer’s interest, who went next door to see what was going on.
“She saw that the lights were being taken out of the kitchen area and being replaced.”
Mr Currie said Mrs Samani wanted to make sure she was getting half of anything that was to be sold.
“She challenged the accused along those terms.
“She began filming the incident and Mr Samani had asked her to stop doing so.
“He asked her to get out of his side of the house.
“He essentially ushered her out of the door by pushing her on the shoulder.”
Uncomfortable
Mr Currie said: “A short time later, the complainer returned to her side of the property and the accused followed.
“He told her that the electrician had chosen to leave the job, because of what was going on.
“The electrician said he was uncomfortable being there and being filmed.
“Mr Samani was upset about that and the money he had paid for the work.
“He slammed the front door of the property in a manner that would cause a reasonable person to suffer fear or alarm.
“Police were called to the house and the accused was cautioned and charged.”
Separated
Solicitor John McLaughlin said the couple split in 2015.
He said the house was being sold off and the proceeds were being divided between the two.
“This happened just a few days before the new owners were due to move in.
“These days the only way they have contact is via email or text.”
Mr McLaughlin said: “This was an unfortunate situation.
“If the electrician had gone to the right side of the house, none of this would have happened and Mr Samani would not be here in court.”
Previous accusation
Sheriff Francis Gill told Samani: “You accept that your conduct was unacceptable.
“You should not have acted in the way that you did.
“I note you have no previous convictions and I am satisfied I can deal with this by way of a financial penalty.”
The sheriff said a non-harassment order was not necessary.
In 2016, Samani was arrested over allegations he attacked his wife and spent three nights in the cells.
No charges were ever brought.
At the time, then-Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie said: “This is a personal tragedy in his life and we need to make sure we deal with it sensitively and appropriately.”
