Yob earns himself a third jail term for stalking ex partner

A bully caged for stalking his ex-girlfriend has been jailed for the third time after targeting her at her home.

Scott McKinney, 33, was jailed for 11 months in March for terrorising Danielle Leitch and threatening to stab her boyfriend.

Yesterday, at Paisley Sheriff Court, he was handed another four months in custody for a separate offence involving Ms Leitch.

Previously, McKinney received six months in July 2020 for breaching court orders barring him from contacting or approaching her.

McKinney appeared from custody for sentencing before Sheriff Lindsey Kooner after pleading guilty to showing up at Ms Leitch’s home in Gallowhill where he behaved aggressively, banged on her door, shouted and swore, and made abusive remarks on February 15, last year.

Defence agent Paul Coyle said his client has been attempting to turn his life around while in HMP Low Moss where he has been attending meetings with the New Roots group in addressing his personal difficulties.

He also asked the court to deal with the matter as fairly as possible given that McKinney had admitted responsibility, and was currently remanded in prison.

He said: “He pleaded guilty to this complaint dating from February 2020 at the outset and since then sentencing has been deferred.

“However, since that time he was sentenced to 11 months for matters involving the same complainer.

“The long and short of it is, he has not been of good behaviour during the period of deferral.

“Although he has not further offended from when he was released last summer.”

He added the roads worker, of Paisley, is hoping to regain his employment when he gets out of jail and he has been keeping up maintenance payments for the daughter he shares with Ms Leitch.

Mr Coyle added he has appealed against the jail sentence imposed on McKinney in March, although it was rejected and, even though he has filed it again for a second time, he “has limited confidence” it will be successful.

Sheri f f Kooner handed McKinney four months behind bars, reduced from six months, because of his early plea of guilty to the charge.

She told him: “I hope you are in a position when you are released to make changes so that you won’t be going back.”

McKinney was convicted of assaulting Ms Leitch when he whipped her with a towel and pushed her on a set of stairs during a drunken rampage at her home.

He also hounded her with abusive rants via text, phone calls and social media posts, which left her scared and frightened, and threatened that he was going “to plug” her new partner, adding “this lockback is going through his neck”.

The court heard he has been handed three Non Harrassment Orders preventing him from approaching or contacting his exgirlfriend.

I hope you are in a position when you are released to make changes so that you won’t be going back