Sheriff orders stalker to undergo therapy

A MILLIONAIRE property developer who stalked two women needs therapy for his obsessive behaviour, a sheriff has ruled.

David Bryson, 41, began relationships with Heather Munro, 46, and Ciara Nelson, 32, after online contacts.

He handed out gifts including a Louis Vuitton handbag and purse as well as a horse for Miss Munro and a £6,500 Rolex watch and a £20,000 Mini Cooper for Miss Nelson.

But police were called in after the relationships soured and Bryson, of Strathaven, Lanarkshire, began a campaign of harassment.

He appeared in court in October and admitted stalking the women at various locations this year.

Bryson returned to Hamilton Sheriff Court yesterday for sentencing, where it emerged he had rekindled his relationship with Miss Nelson.

Sheriff Marie Smart ordered him to undergo a course of therapy before returning to court for a progress report in February.

The court was told he breached his bail conditions by contacting Miss Nelson from Tenerife after his October court appearance.

She told police, who awaited his return at Glasgow Airport but discovered he had flown to Dublin and driven back to Scotland to evade arrest. A tip-off led them to a plush hotel in Glasgow, where he had checked in under a false name .

Deputy Fiscal Wendy McAdam said: “He was in the company of Ciara Nelson and it was obvious from CCTV the pair were in a relationship.”

Sheriff Smart said: “Clearly things have moved on dramatically since the last time you appeared.”

Prison wouldn’t help alter his behaviour, she added.

First stalking victim Heather Munro said he should have been jailed: “He put me through hell.

“Before he was arrested in February, he made me feel scared to leave my house for fear of him being there and following me everywhere.”