Tree surgeon who stalked ex-business partner fined

ATREE surgeon who stalked his former business partner and made him so terrified he moved house was fined £935 on Monday.

Jordan Grant, 24, targeted his former partner Christopher Mitchell after he left the business.

Between February and June 2019, he bombarded Mr Mitchell with abuse which included making threatening phone calls to his wife and visiting his parent’s home looking for him.

In one of the chilling calls, Grant stated: “You should be scared, because I’m scaring myself.”

Grant pleaded guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court to stalking Mr Mitchell and sending offensive, indecent, menacing messages by means of public electronic communications.

Sheriff Jonathan Guy granted a non-harassment

Grant’s contact for two years.

The court heard the two friends, of Rutherglen, near Glasgow, set up landscaping business Glasgow Gardening Maintenance Ltd in July 2018.

Mr Mitchell and Grant, who is a qualified tree surgeon, were carrying out small gardening work in the local area. Both saw a potential to make this full-time employment.

The company performed well for a number of months and more equipment and vehicles were bought to help with the demand.

Mr Mitchell however believed the business was growing too quickly.

Due to poor decisions the company started to make a loss.

Mr Mitchell quit while Grant wished to continue and contact was cut between the two pair in February 2019.

Mr Mitchell and his wife, who had been living with Grant due order restricting with Mr Mitchell to renovations at their moved out just as the partnership ended.

Mrs Mitchell removed items from Grant’s house before taking a call from him demanding her husband’s whereabouts.

Grant turned up at the Michells’ house days later while they were out and demanded keys from a workman.

Grant made a further call to Mrs Mitchell saying: “Dirty rat, where the f*** is he, he’s left me myself, I don’t know what I’m doing, I hope you’re not going to sell that house and leave me.”

He made further attempts to contact Mr Mitchell by visiting his parents which made the victims feel “threatened and alarmed.”

Mrs Mitchell called Grant and told him that she was feeling scared by his conduct.

He replied: “You should be scared, because I’m scaring myself.”

Grant made a further call stating property, business

Mr Mitchell had been hiding from him and that he had been “left in the s***...everything is falling apart.”

The court heard that as a result of the ongoing threats and intimidation, Mr and Mrs Mitchell fearing for their safety, fled from their home and relocated.

Mrs Mitchell also blocked Grant’s phone number.

Grant later pulled up in a company van at the Mitchell’s former property which had been rented by a man and a woman.

He asked them: “Who are you renting it from, did you buy or rent the house, I want to speak to Chris and Melissa, they are my friends, I have a few issues I want to speak to them about.”

They had heard about the previous incidents with Grant and became anxious before stating they didn’t know them.

Grant was eventually arrested by police at his home in Rutherglen.

You should be scared, because I’m scaring myself