Guilty of threat to estranged wife
Ex-partner alarmed by his ‘cut-throat’gesture
A Bothwell restaurateur was last week found guilty of making a threatening gesture towards his estranged wife.
Marco Sarao had driven past the Royal Gardens home the couple previously shared in the village and made a ‘cut-throat’ gesture as she was leaving the property on June 8 last year.
The 44-year-old had denied a charge of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner. However, following a summary trial at Hamilton Sheriff Court, Sheriff Allan Mckay found him guilty on the charge,
Sarao had told Hamilton Sheriff Court last week there had been “a number of reasons” behind the couple’s split in January 2015.
However, he said animosity did not surface until the following month after his return from a twoday business trip to Norway.
On June 8, Mrs Sarao had been leaving the Royal Gardens house at 11.30am when her husband drove past in a Fiat 500 from 20ft away and made a hand gesture across his throat.
Scared, she went back into the house to call the police. She had been in the company of two friends, property developer James Milligan and his partner Sharon Hislop.
Mr Milligan had told the court the couple had been sitting on the wall that day at the Royal Gardens address when Sarao came towards them in the car and gave them an “over-exaggerated” wave before going round a roundabout and returning.
When Mrs Sarao turned round after locking her front door, Sarao had taken his finger across his neck.
Mrs Sarao at that point was “in a bit of a state”.
Sarao had also faced charges of behaving in a threatening and abusive manner at the Royal Gardens address on November 13 last year by instructing a locksmith attend and change the locks, as well as having property removed from the house without the consent of his wife – and posting a topless picture of his wife on social media on June 24 last year while he was on bail.
Sarao’s lawyer David Kinloch made a no case to answer submission on the charge of posting the menacing picture of his wife which was upheld by Sheriff Mckay.
A no case to answer submission on the charge of instructing the locksmith to attend the Royal Gardens address and remove property was, however, repelled by the Sheriff who found Sarao not guilty of the charge.
Sheriff Mckay deferred sentence on Sarao, of Saffronhall Gardens, Hamilton, on the charge of gesticulating in a threatening manner towards his wife until December 13 for him to be of good behaviour.