The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Serial stalker and abuser avoids jail term
COURT: ‘Monster’ Mark Boucher terrorised women during and after their relationships
A serial stalker and domestic abuser who terrorised four women over the period of seven years yesterday walked free from court.
Social workers said Mark Boucher – who harassed one of his victims from his prison cell and even threatened to decapitate any man she was in contact with while he was in prison – was not suitable for a community sentence.
He twice breached a community payback order last year, while social workers said they didn’t want him on a domestic abuse reform course because of his “entrenched attitudes”.
A sheriff yesterday told him her “instinct” was to send him to prison – but that the “longer term protection of the public” would be better served by setting him free.
Boucher made a string of threats to ex Jasmine McGraw after he had already been locked up over other offences.
He had faced a lengthy jail term after he admitted stalking Miss McGraw, as well as his other former partners Laura Walker, Melissa Low and Diane Thomson.
Boucher made the threats to Miss McGraw after he was last year spared jail for posting a picture of himself on Facebook brandishing a huge machete – then threatening to butcher her.
Even while locked up he claimed he could access her social media accounts to check up on her.
Dundee Sheriff Court heard “controlling” Boucher had harassed all four of his victims during and after their relationships – even accusing them of being unfaithful when he himself was seeing other women.
He demanded that Diane Thomson send him pictures to prove where she was and would turn up to meet her at her work early to check up on her.
She branded him a “monster” and told how he started off “bubbly and nice” but turned into an “intimidating” thug.
While with Miss Low he repeatedly criticised her to the point where she gave up on going out with friends.
And with Miss Walker he would make offensive remarks to her and harass her while she was out with friends – on one occasion calling her 40 times in a night.
Boucher, 28, a prisoner at Perth, pleaded guilty on indictment to four charges of stalking committed between October 2007 and January this year at locations in Dundee, Perth and Forfar.
Sheriff Lorna Drummond QC imposed a community payback order with 230 hours unpaid work, three years supervision and a restriction of liberty order confining him to his home from 7pm until 7am daily for three months.
Non-harassment orders banning him from contact with his victims for five years were also issued.