The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Woman admits faking threatening messages
DETAINED: Former partner ended up in police custody and court over matter
A woman has admitted setting up a fake account and sending messages purportedly from her ex-partner, leading to him appearing from the cells on Christmas Eve after being wrongly arrested.
Emma Crosbie from Arbroath will be sentenced next month after a sheriff ordered background reports on the 26-year-old when she appeared at Forfar.
Crosbie, of Corries Court, pled guilty to an offence under the Communications Act of falsely claiming to police her former partner had sent threatening and abusive messages from a social media service in December 2015.
Depute fiscal Robbie Brown said the accused had been in a relationship with the man for five years before their break-up and that she went to police on December 21 claiming to have been the victim of the threatening messages causing the police to interview and detain her ex, leading to him appearing in court from custody on December 24.
Mr Brown added: “While the matter was being investigated police were able to trace where the messages had been sent from and that was traced to the computer of a relative of the accused.
“When that relative was interviewed it appeared the accused had used a computer at their premises.
“Unfortunately I do not have a value of the police time, the prosecution time or the court time involved in investigating the matter,” he added.
Defence solicitor Michael Boyd said Crosbie had accepted responsibility and admitted her guilt from the outset when the true source of the messages was uncovered.
The court heard the offence emerged as a result of a custody situation the couple were involved in at the time.
“It is clearly a serious matter given the police involvement and the repercussions for the complainer,” he added. She is contrite and I suspect this is a one-off situation given the circumstances of the time.”
“Police were able to trace where the messages had been sent from and that was traced to the computer of a relative of the accused