Woman claims husband’s friend stalked and assaulted her

A mother-of-12 told a jury she was run off the road and attacked by her husband’s friend as he staged a long-running stalking campaign against her.

Jennifer Petrie, 41, told the jury that she was “very, very frightened” of Shaun Fair as he was “unpredictable” and had attacked her in a car park while she was at work.

She said Fair had followed her in his car on a regular basis and had forced her off the road before climbing into the passenger seat of her vehicle.

The care coordinator told Perth Sheriff Court yesterday that Fair had hidden behind her car after following her to a client’s home and then attacked her.

She said: “He took my car keys. He just grabbed them out of my hand.

“I tried to reach for the keys and he grabbed me by the wrists.

“He had a really, really strong grip.

“I said ‘Please let go, you’re hurting me’. He did actually drag me across the car park by the wrist. He was too strong.

“He said ‘You’re coming with me’.”

Mrs Petrie said she managed to struggle partially free of Fair’s grip and pressed the redial button on her mobile phone because she knew her husband was the last person she had spoken to.

Mrs Petrie said Fair turned up and hid behind a car again the following day – and apologised to her.

Fair, 46, of Morrison Terrace, Blairgowrie, denies engaging in a course of conduct between January 1 and May 2 last year which caused Jennifer Petrie fear or alarm.

He denies repeatedly following and driving past her, attending places he knew she worked, driving past the school her children attended, seizing hold of her, pulling her to the ground and throwing her mobile phone at her.

The trial, before a jury and Sheriff William Wood, continues.