Creep who entered ex’s Dundee home and sat on her bed while she slept avoids jail

A creep who entered his ex-partner’s home uninvited before sitting on her bed while she slept has been ordered to carry out unpaid work.

Danzig Guthrie also tried to persuade the woman not to pick him out in a police identity parade that was due to take place.

Jurors at the High Court in Aberdeen previously found Guthrie guilty of stalking the woman over a four-month period last year. He was also convicted of multiple breaches of his bail conditions as a result of the offences.

The 27-year-old denied causing the woman to suffer fear and alarm between April 28-August 2 last year at Dundee’s Forres Crescent, Duke’s Corner on Brown Street and HMP Perth.

During that time period, he entered his ex-partner’s home without her permission before sitting on her bed while she slept and staring at her. Guthrie, a prisoner at Perth, thereafter approached the woman and engaged her in conversation at Duke’s Corner as well as repeatedly phoning, texting and emailing her from prison. Jurors also found him guilty of attempting to pervert the course of justice between June 7 and September 1 last year at HMP Perth.

Guthrie was convicted of asking Ross Nicoll and James Smith to contact the woman and show her letters he had written as well as persuading the woman not to identify him in a Viper (video identification parade electronic recording). Those offences meant Guthrie was in breach of bail orders imposed at Dundee Sheriff Court and Dunfermline Sheriff Court.

Defence counsel Matt Jackson said: “My client would not benefit from undertaking the Caledonian Men’s Programme due to his ASD. It would be tremendously difficult for him. He has a very binary approach to life. The report from social workers and doctors states they are both of the opinion that a community payback order will be best. He has already served 11 months on remand, which is equivalent to a two-year prison sentence. Because of his condition, custody is harder for him than most. He has been assaulted whilst on remand.”

Placing Guthrie on a community payback order with unpaid work, Judge Lord Kinclaven said: “The laws of the land apply to Mr Guthrie, whether he has ASD or not. I am keen to keep a measure of control and I would like to see the protection bear fruit whilst still under the control of the court.”