Man who stalked pupil for f ive years jailed for 11 months
A FORMER schoolboy who became obsessed with another pupil and embarked on a five-year stalking campaign has been jailed for 11 months. James McCallum would often loiter outside the boy’s house and put the family through a frightening ordeal.
McCallum, now 20, was a school pupil when his obsessive behaviour began in Dunfermline, Fife.
Depute fiscal Claire Bremner told Dunfermline Sheriff Court the victim made it clear to McCallum he wanted nothing to do with him but the stalking continued. McCallum would constantly talk about the other boy, follow him and stare at him in the sports changing rooms.
His behaviour became increasingly bizarre and he once climbed on to a garage roof to look into the boy’s home.
On other occasions the victim would look out of the window and see McCallum outside blowing kisses to him. In another incident, McCallum traced the victim’s brother and spoke to him for more than an hour.
McCallum would escape from secure accommodation in Edinburgh by climbing out of windows, then go to Dunfermline and loiter near the victim’s home. On one occasion, the boy’s parents and sister came home to see McCallum lurking in an alley. The girl screamed and ran into the house but McCallum refused to move when asked by her parents.
McCallum, currently of Polmont Young Offenders Institution, near Falkirk, appeared for sentencing on Thursday. He previously admitted he had engaged in conduct which caused the victim fear and alarm on dates between January 1, 2012, and March 2, 2017, in Dunfermline.
He approached and spoke to him, declared his love for him, stared at him, followed him, attended in the vicinity of his home and loitered outside.
He asked others to pass messages to him, travelled to Dunfermline in an effort to meet him and in October he contacted the victim’s brother asking him to pass on messages and refused to desist despite repeated requests to do so.
He also admitted breaching a bail condition imposed on October 17 not to enter Dunfermline by travelling there on March 2.
Defence solicitor Alistair Burleigh said his client had a very difficult upbringing. He added: ‘He was a deeply troubled boy with huge behavioural issues. He was traumatised after being abused as a child. There is no doubt he has an obsession with the complainer.’
Sheriff Charles MacNair jailed McCallum for 11 months. This was backdated to when he was taken into custody in March so he will be released next month.
The sheriff also imposed a 20year non-harassment order prohibiting McCallum from any contact with the victim and banning him from Dunfermline for that period.
In Scotland, there is no specific crime of stalking. Behaviour which might be construed as stalking or harassment is usually prosecuted under breach of the peace legislation.
‘He was a deeply troubled boy’