Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Man who sent text threats spared jail
Steven Tosh, 26, of Maitland Street, had sentence deferred last month, having previously admitted sending the messages to Amber Kenyon and Frances McVicar.
Dundee Sheriff Court heard that Tosh and Ms Kenyon had been in a relationship since August 2017, but that had finished around the end of November last year.
At 8.30pm on January 15, Ms Kenyon received a text from Tosh in which he implied she had started a relationship with another man.
Another text read: “Always knew you for what you are.”
In another, he implied he would let intimate photographs of Ms Kenyon “go viral” – although the court was told that in fact the images did not exist. Ms Kenyon, who was living with her grandmother at the time, subsequently blocked Tosh’s number.
The court was told Ms McVicar received an abusive video message from Tosh on January 19, described as “rambling.”
Both women were upset by this, and contacted police.
The court heard the messages had been intended to be “a joke”, but Tosh “appreciated this was not how it came across”.
He admitted that on various occasions between January 15 and 19, he sent grossly offensive text messages to Ms Kenyon which were i ndecent, obscene or menacing in character in that he repeatedly referred to her in offensive and abusive terms and threatened to expose intimate photographs of her.
He further admitted that he sent text and video messages to Ms McVicar that were grossly offensive or indecent, obscene or menacing in character, shouted, swore and used offensive and abusive language.
Sheriff John Rafferty said: “You have two recently analogous matters on your record in 2012 and 2013.
“You have also breached bail opportunities on six occasions. I’m prepared to give you the chance of a community-based disposal. If you breach that then you will go to jail.”
A restriction of liberty order was put in place, requiring Tosh to be in his house from 7pm-6am for four months.
A MAN who admitted sending abusive and threatening text messages to his ex-partner and her grandmother has been spared jail.