Stalker council chief banned from entire town

A COUNCIL finance chief who stalked his ex-partner, a senior social work manager, for seven months, even nearly buying a house in her street, has been spared jail but banned from an entire town.

Former international athlete Ronnie Hunter, 56, who now works for Edinburgh City Council as its treasury and banking finance manager, was excluded from Bridge of Allan, Stirlingshire, for 18 months.

Sheriff Simon Collins also sentenced Hunter to 200 hours of unpaid work.

He rejected Hunter’s lawyer’s plea that Hunter should continue to be allowed to train on 1371 ft Dumyat Hill, a classic hill race venue, in Bridge of Allan.

He said: “Mr Hunter has all of Scotland to train in. He does not have to use this particular part of this particular town to do so.”

Hunter, of Garnethill, Glasgow, a banker and veteran athlete who has run for Scotland and Great Britain, appeared for sentence at Stirling Sheriff Court after being found guilty last month of stalking his former partner, Annabelle Cameron, by loitering “almost daily” near her home in Bridge of Allan between April and November last year and staring at her.

He had denied the charge.