Admonished over threatening gesture

Restaurateur threatened his estranged wife

A Bothwell restaurateur who made a threatening gesture towards his estranged wife was this week admonished.

Marco Sarao had driven past the Royal Gardens home the couple had previously shared in the village and made a ‘cut-throat’ gesture as Audrey Sarao 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 there had been “a number of reasons” behind the couple’s January 2015.

But, he said animosity did not surface until the following month after his return from a two-day 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, at the time.

Mr Milligan had told the court the couple had been sitting on the wall that day at the Royal Gardens address when split in 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 had made a no case to answer submission on the charge of posting the menacing picture of his wife which had been upheld by Sheriff Mckay.

And a no case to answer submission on the charge of instructing the locksmith to attend the Royal Gardens address and remove property had been repelled by the Sheriff who found Sarao not guilty of the charge.

At the court on Tuesday, Sheriff Mckay admonished and dismissed Sarao, of Saffronhall Gardens, Hamilton, on the charge of gesticulating in a threatening manner towards his wife.

Sheriff Mckay further refused a Crown motion for a non-harassment order.