Former Army translator admits abuse on WhatsApp
A FORMER translator for the British Army has appeared in court for abusive messages and calls over WhatsApp.
Troon’s Ahmed Farooqi, 32, admitted making threats and sending obscene messages in Clydebank back in 2021.
At Dumbarton Sheriff Court on November 4, fiscal depute Euan Nicholson said the unnamed victim was in a WhatsApp group chat along with Farooqi.
At about 9.45pm on September 2, 2021, a photo was sent which caused an argument to kick off, and Farooqi began making insults including that someone was “his sister’s sh**ger”.
The victim then phoned Farooqi and asked what this was about, but the insults continued.
Farooqi left a voice message saying he would “f*** his sister” and “f*** his family”. On the call he told the person he would “stick wood in your ass and beat you to death”.
When police arrested him, he told officers: “It was not abuse on my side, it was against us because of the Taliban.”
He later pleaded guilty to sending messages that were grossly offensive or of an
“You are going to have to learn ways to deal with stressful situations” indecent, obscene or menacing character and calling the man abusive names and uttering threats of violence.
Farooqi’s defence solicitor said his client moved to the UK in 2014 after serving with British forces.
The lawyer said the other person had told Farooqi in the chat that he was “a student of the British and slave of the English and French”.
He said the victim “had been warned on two occasions” and Farooqi was “a bit surprised the complainer is not standing in the dock beside him”.
Sheriff Maxwell Hendry said: “There are ways that are appropriate to act. I don’t think there’s any doubt into which category your behaviour fell.
“You are going to have to learn ways to deal with stressful situations that keep you within the law.”
He put Farooqi, of McAdam Court, Burns Road, Troon, under supervision by social workers for 12 months and ordered him to do 120 hours of unpaid work in the community.
Sheriff Maxwell Hendry