Restaurateur denies placing wife in fear

A Bothwell restaurateur is alleged to have placed his estranged wife in a state of fear in a series of matters including having correspondence sent to her about funeral planning.

Marco Sarao, of Silvertrees Wynd, pleaded not guilty at Hamilton Sheriff Court on Monday to a charge of engaging in a course of conduct which caused Audrey Sarao fear and alarm between January 2015 and June 2016 at Royal Gardens and Blairston Avenue, in Bothwell, and elsewhere in Lanarkshire.

The 44-year-old is alleged to have monitored Audrey Sarao’s whereabouts by using an application capable of tracing her mobile phone – and to have contacted her mobile phone provider and ordered a new SIM card, depriving her of access to her mobile phone, and gaining access and responding to communications intended for her.

Sarao is also said to have repeatedly submitted applications for credit cards in Audrey Sarao’s name; submitted a request to Royal Mail to redirect postal correspondence from her home address – and arranged for her to be sent correspondence about funeral planning.

The charge further alleges that Sarao had publicly posted threatening and abusive messages via Facebook, and had removed a car from Audrey Sarao’s home without her knowledge or consent.

He is also alleged to have submitted direct debit arrangements for her business bank account without authorisation; repeatedly asked Audrey Sarao’s friends and associates to make contact with her on his behalf, and repeatedly attended at her home address and act aggressively towards her.

Sheriff Douglas Brown set the trial for August 22 with an intermediate diet of July 25.

Bail was granted with conditions which included that Sarao does not enter, nor seek to enter his wife’s Royal Gardens address – or approach or contact her or attempt to approach or contact her.