Ex at the door sparked panic alarm
A Perth woman activated a panic alarm when her ex-partner turned up at her home after trying to contact her by phone.
Forty-five-year-old Robert Johnston caused uproar when he shouted and swore and repeatedly kicked the doors.
He then tried door handles and struck the windows, Perth Sheriff Court was told.
His outrageous behaviour cost him a £350 fine when he appeared for sentence on Wednesday.
But Sheriff Lindsay Foulis said there was“no need”for a Non-Harassment Order, banning him from contacting his ex.
He took into account the accused’s“minimal record,” with no similar offences, and his good behaviour over the past nine months.
He also observed:“The panic alarm had been installed in relation to a previous relationship.”
Johnston, of Drummond Way, Bertha Park, admitted causing a nuisance at his former partner’s home in the Tulloch area of the city on March 11, 2020.
The court was told they had been in a relationship for about four years but that had ended in September 2019.
She had contacted him by phone on Monday, March 9, but they were not“seeing eye to eye”and she ended the conversation.
On Wednesday, March 11, he made“numerous attempts”to speak to her before she finally answered.
But Johnston asked her: “What’s your f***ing problem.”
Further calls were then received before she heard knocking on her front door.
She asked the accused to leave but he then repeatedly kicked the door, shouting“let me in,”as he tried the door handle.
He was later traced by police at his own home.
Solicitor Pauline Cullerton explained that his ex-partner had been at his home a few days before the incident.
“He got angry when she wasn’t wanting to engage with him.
“He tried to contact her and became frustrated when she wouldn’t meet with him.”
Imposing the fine, Sheriff Foulis warned Johnston:“If there is an issue with contact, it’s vitally important you go through the right channels and don’t take matters into your own hands.”