Fort man has ‘alarming history’, says sheriff

A SHERIFF told a Fort William man he had an ‘alarming history’ of offending towards women when he appeared at the town’s sheriff court last week.

Ryan McAndrew, 34, of Grange Road, had appeared for sentencing after pleading guilty at an earlier date.

McAndrew admitted engaging in conduct at an address in the town on March 19 and 20 this year that caused his former partner fear or alarm, by repeatedly sending her text messages containing threats to damage property, intimidate her for the rest of her life, and threats to kill and petrol bomb her.

He also admitted appearing at her home and throwing a wheelie bin in the air, smashing a window. Procurator fiscal Robert Weir described how McAndrew had split from his partner of six months about two weeks prior to the incidents, which had occurred around 6pm.

Mr Weir told how the woman had been at a friend’s house watching a film when she started receiving text messages from him.

Mr Weir said: ‘These were of a threatening nature and continued until about 11.30pm.’

McAndrew had continued sending the threatening text messages until about two o’clock the next morning and it was then the woman heard noises outside the house, including banging on the front door and bedroom window, and someone shouting.

Mr Weir went on: ‘The witness stayed in the bedroom and then heard the wheelie bin being thrown up in the air. The bedroom window was then smashed by the wheelie bin being thrown against it.

‘The witness, however, was not hurt by the broken glass due to the curtains. But she then became hysterical and contacted a friend, and it was at this point the accused left the locus.’

The police were alerted and arrived shortly afterwards and officers saw the wheelie bin sticking half in and out of the window and the woman was found to be in a distressed state. Police traced McAndrew and detained him.

‘It is fair to say he co-operated with the police and accepted his conduct, and explained he was under the influence of alcohol at the time,’ continued Mr Weir.

In his statement to police, McAndrew had said his former partner always left a bedroom light on, but in this instance there was no light visible. However, when the window smashed he told police he heard a scream that ‘broke my heart’.

Defence agent Niall Macbeath said his unemployed client very much regretted his actions, adding: ‘He tells me if he hadn’t drunk so much alcohol, he would never have done this.

Sentencing McAndrew, Sheriff Eilidh MacDonald told him he had a ‘significant and horrible’ record of offending.

‘This is a terrible record and you are very close to being sent to jail,’ she told him. ‘But I am just persuaded it would be better for everybody if I dealt with this by way of a community payback disposal.

‘I therefore impose a supervision order for two years, along with 130 hours of unpaid work in the community as a direct alternative to custody.’

Sheriff MacDonald also made a non-harassment order for two years and told McAndrew: ‘You have alarming previous history of offending towards partners and women.’