A serial domestic abuser controlled and manipulated a vulnerable teenager during a secret relationship.
William Petrie, 26, threatened to make allegations about the girl, as well as bombarding her with phone calls and messages between October and November last year.
Dundee Sheriff Court heard she tried to keep the relationship secret from her mother after becoming aware of Petrie’s previous convictions.
Petrie sparked the relationship over Facebook when she was just 17 and shortly before he was jailed in February 2020.
He was previously locked up for domestic offences against a former partner and is now facing a further stint behind bars after pleading guilty at Dundee Sheriff Court.
Deferring sentence for reports, Sheriff Gregor Murray told Petrie: “Despite the relatively brief period of your relationship, I regard this as a sustained period of domestic control on your behalf towards a vulnerable young person.”
Daily disputes
The court heard how Petrie repeatedly threatened suicide during the almost daily disputes.
During one incident in his car at Clatto Park, he told the girl: “Just stop this, we’ll have sex in the back of the car and we can get food,” but she rejected him.
Fiscal depute Stewart Duncan revealed how the teenager rekindled the relationship with Petrie upon his release in October last year.
Mr Duncan said: “The complainer said that occurred almost every day because he suspected she was speaking to other males.
“She told her mother that a friend was collecting her when it was actually the accused. She kept the relationship secret.
“During one incident, the complainer received a number of messages from the accused saying he would kill himself if she did not answer him.”
Following other episodes at Clatto Park and Camperdown Leisure Park, the woman ceased contact with Petrie but he continued to pester her.
Petrie messaged her from various different numbers and arrived at her home at 4am, was an hour after police had attended her home to retrieve his belongings.
Mr Duncan added: “The accused grabbed her phone and ran off.
“The complainer ran after him but he got in a car and locked the door.
“He told her to get in the car which she did and they drove while continuing to argue.”
More than 100 calls in a day
Petrie later called the woman more than 100 times in one day and sent her a photo of himself on a bridge after threatening suicide.
The woman also began to receive messages from a woman claiming to be a friend of Petrie’s.
However, she suspected he was behind the account after she was asked about sleeping with other men.
Petrie, a prisoner of HMP Perth, pled guilty to engaging in an abusive course of conduct towards the woman between October 27 and November 14 on Ballindean Road, Clatto Park, Camperdown Leisure Park, Dayton Drive and Kemnay Gardens, all Dundee.
He admitted acting in a coercive and controlling manner, calling her, sending her messages, refusing to desist when asked to do so, threatening to make allegations about her, acting in a threatening manner and threatening to commit suicide.
Solicitor Doug McConnell said that on a number of occasions, Petrie himself was trying to end the relationship.
He told the court: “He should have known better considering his record.
“There were mental health difficulties at that time and he was still on a community payback order which was going well.”
