Anstruther man admits stalking ex-partner by hiding phone in her car

COURT: Accused took ‘personal use’ photo of victim as she came out of shower

An Anstruther man who hid a mobile phone in the car of his ex-partner to track her movements around Fife has pleaded guilty to stalking.

Mark Newsome, of Milton Crescent, appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court yesterday and admitted stalking the woman between November 2017 and April 2018.

The 46-year-old also admitted taking a picture of his victim as she dried herself after coming out the shower at an address in Upper Largo.

Sheriff Alastair Thornton deferred sentence and called for background reports including a restriction of liberty order assessment.

He also instructed the procurator fiscal Mina Poppius to determine if a non-harassment order was required by the victim, who cannot be named.

Defence solicitor Lisa Campbell told the court that her client would be pleading guilty to two amended charges.

A third charge was dropped after Newsome’s not guilty plea was accepted by the Crown.

The Anstruther man admitted engaging in a course of conduct which caused fear and alarm to his former partner at the house in Upper Largo, at Asda in Kirkcaldy and elsewhere.

He admitted looking through her mobile phone for personal information about her and obtaining screenshots of her private messages before sending them to himself.

Newsome also bombarded the woman with text messages, phone calls and messages on social media.

He also threatened to disclose sensitive information to her employer and pretended to retain personal information about her.

The stalker then concealed a mobile phone in her car and tracked her whereabouts before repeatedly texting her and telling her that he knew where she was.

Newsome admitted a second charge of voyeurism which took place in Upper Largo between February 2017 and April 2018.

He admitted taking a picture of the woman drying herself after coming out of the shower for his own personal use.

Newsome will be sentenced on August 2.