A man has been ordered to stay away from his former partner after he made threats to kill a man he wrongly believed was her new boyfriend.
Ryan Horne appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court where he admitted texting his former partner and telling her he was going to “kill” her friend and run him off the road with his car.
The 29-year-old also threatened to physically assault the man, telling his ex he would “batter him”.
Horne’s solicitor told the court her client had trouble controlling his emotions when angry.
‘I’ll run yous off the road’
Fiscal depute Georgia Laird told the court that the couple had been in a relationship for three years but had separated in November last year.
On October 5 2023, Horne’s former partner unblocked his number on her phone to tell him to “stop saying things about her”.
During the call, as the woman was trying to speak, Horne began reacting aggressively, stating that he would punch her face along with her friend’s face.
At around 3.35pm that day, the woman began receiving several voice messages directing threats toward her friend.
Horne stated: “I’m going to kill that c***. I’ll run yous clean off the road. I’ll punch him. I’m going to batter him. I’m going to punch him in the mouth,” before adding: “I’m going to punch whoever you’re with whenever you’re walking down the street.”
Appearing in the dock, Horne pleaded guilty to one charge of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by repeatedly making threats of violence from an address on Cairncry Road, Aberdeen.
Accused ‘disappointed’ about how he handled situation
Defence solicitor Carolyn Leckie told the court her client has struggled to “control his emotions” while in relationships.
She added: “Mr Horne has experienced a significant amount of time in care as a young person.
“He knows he needs he needs to learn to control his emotions whenever he’s feeling challenged.”
Sheriff Craig Findlater told Horne: “I can see that you have had something of a difficult background.
“I also see that you have shown some insight into the issues you have had.
“You have said that you’re disappointed with yourself as to how you handled this situation.”
Sheriff Findlater sentenced Horne, of Wingate Road, Aberdeen, to a community payback order with supervision for two years and ordered him to take part in a domestic abuse programme.
The sheriff also put a non-harassment order in place, meaning Horne cannot approach his former partner for one year.
For all the latest court cases in Aberdeen as well as crime and breaking incidents, join our Facebook group.
