A Fife man stole the ashes of his ex-partner’s dead dog during years of domestic abuse.
Repeat offender Douglas Giblin tormented his former girlfriend during a campaign of degrading treatment, belittling her, taking her phone, threatening her friends and turning up at her work.
Dundee Sheriff Court heard Giblin, who has previous domestic convictions, threatened to send intimate photos to the woman’s father after she broke-up with him.
He created new Facebook accounts to get around her blocking him and would phone from different numbers so she could not screen his calls, between 2017 and 2021.
At one point he locked her in his house during an argument and even stole the ashes of her beloved pet dog when she told him she no longer wanted to see him.
Explicit picture threat
Depute fiscal Lynne Mannion told the court: “The accused and the witness were in a relationship for around four years.
“In July 2017 the witness and accused had an argument, they separated.
“The accused threatened to send naked pictures of the witness to her father.
“She began to be bombarded by phone calls from the accused – he once made 108 phone calls.
“In August that year the relationship resumed.
“The accused would call her ten times and demand to know her whereabouts when she was with family and friends.
“He would set up fake accounts on social media to message her.
“He turned up four times at her place of work when he was asked not to.
“He would send her messages including one which said ‘you will never meet another man as good as me’.
“He would also text her to say he was watching her.”
Took pet’s ashes
The court heard the pair would often argue and split up and Giblin would ask for gifts he had given her, including a set of curtains.
Ms Mannion added: “The accused would challenge her about male friends.
“This continued throughout the relationship.
“She stopped contact with her friends.
“He would regularly go through her phone and read her messages.
“He would stand in her street. He messaged her saying ‘just seen you open your window’.
“During their break-ups, he would try and contact the witness through her friends, demanding to speak to her.
“He took the ashes of her family pet dog, returning them after she made contact with him.
“He took possession once of her glasses, knowing she could not see without them.
“He locked her in his home (on one occasion).
“The witness was due to go on holiday with her father. He contacted her saying ‘I will see you at the airport’.
“He said he would be in Gran Canaria at the same time as her, in the same resort.
“He did not go there but it made her fearful he would and she was forced to make contact with him to see if he would be in Gran Canaria.”
Prison possible
Giblin, 57, of Hill Road, Ballingry, admitted on July 24 2017 he threatened to send an intimate photo.
He further admitted between July 25 2017 and November 1 2018, he stalked his ex-partner in Dundee by repeatedly driving past her house and watching her address.
He also pled guilty to the course of abusive conduct between April 1 2019 and July 24 2021.
Sheriff Jillian Martin-Brown deferred sentence for reports and granted bail but warned Giblin a custodial sentence was possible.
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