A man who admitted stalking a bank worker for nearly a year — repeatedly making appointments to see her at her branch and bombarding her with texts — today told a court he hadn’t actually carried out the campaign of harassment.
Steven Harper appeared at Dundee Sheriff Court for sentencing after he pleaded guilty to stalking Samantha Finlay for a year after meeting her at an RBS branch in Dundee’s High Street.
But Harper’s lawyer claimed that Harper hadn’t meant to admit the offence — despite his previous solicitor entering the plea for him and Harper confirming it from the dock.
Harper, 30, was said to have told Miss Finlay he was having issues with his account. After he saw her at an appointment, she accidentally gave him her number. He made attempts to arrange to meet up, which she blocked.
She changed her mobile number but on the same day, August 28 2013, Harper turned up at the bank asking to speak with her. Other staff members refused.
He emailed her in November 2013 and then in June 2014 turned up at Miss Finlay’s work and requested an appointment with her.
When Harper arrived, he was told someone else would see him. Harper left, saying he would “try again”, and at this point police were contacted.
Harper, 30, of Burnside Court, Whorterbank, Dundee, pleaded guilty to a charge of stalking.
He admitted that, between June 24 2013, and June 13 2014, at Royal Bank of Scotland, High Street, and elsewhere, he engaged in a course of conduct which caused Samantha Finlay fear and alarm, in that he repeatedly texted and emailed her, and attended at her place of work, while on bail.
But today, Paul Parker Smith, defending, said Harper wanted to withdraw his earlier guilty plea. He said: “Mr Harper entered that plea under legal advice from his previous agents.
“However, his position to me is that he did not commit this crime.
“I require to investigate this before I make a motion to withdraw the plea.”
Sheriff Alistair Brown deferred sentence until later this month for Mr Parker Smith to investigate the plea entered in the case.
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