Man in breach of order gets jail

A 45-year-old man who breached a non-harassment order by approaching his former partner at a Lerwick optician’s has been jailed for two months.

Oliver Tait, of Bixter, admitted committing the offence on March 3 when he appeared from custody atLerwickSheriff Court yesterday.

Procurator fiscalDuncan Mackenzie said the incident had caused the woman considerable distress and was “far from a chance encounter”.

The court heard that the woman had seen Tait, who had previously committed a “large number” of domestic aggravations against her, on Lerwick’s Commercial Street when accompanying her mother to an appointment at Kelly’s Opticians.

While they were waiting to be seen he walked into the optician’s,

“He claimed to receptionist that he was in pain”

where he did not have an appointment, and claimed to the receptionist that he was in pain and needed to be seen.

He then sat down and smirked at the woman, the fiscal said, at which point she became distressed.

She had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of his previous conduct towards her, and her heart rate increased as she became anxious.

Mr Mackenzie said Tait had lied to police, claimed he was unaware of the non-harassment order which was imposed by the court in November 2015 and that he had an appointment. Sheriff Philip Mann told Tait that he was “refusing to let the penny drop”.

He jailed Tait for two months and imposed a new, three-year non-harassment order.