A “jealous”, “needy” and “controlling” boyfriend demanded his partner “unlike” another man’s photo on Instagram.
Jamie Mutch’s “nasty, controlling behaviour” towards the woman over a nine-month period led him to the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.
The 31-year-old monitored the woman’s use of social media and flew into jealous rages repeatedly, accusing her of infidelity.
He also regularly called her names and threatened her, bombarding her with calls and messages every time she tried to break up with him.
Fiscal depute Andrew McMann told Aberdeen Sheriff Court the pair had been in a relationship for around nine months, starting in November 2019 and ending in July 2020.
He said that during the relationship they “regularly argued, broke up and reconciled”.
Mr McMann said: “The accused would repeatedly call her derogatory names and stated he wanted to smack her head off a wall.”
‘Inability to accept the relationship was over’
During a row over Snapchat, Mutch called the woman a “s***” and an “embarrassment” in relation to her use of Instagram.
On February 9 2020, Mutch approached the woman in an “agitated state” as she finished having a shower at his address.
Mutch asked her if she had “liked” another male’s picture on Instagram.
When she told him she was unaware of liking a picture, he replied: “You’re going to go and f***ing unlike this now.”
The woman attempted to reason with him but Mutch repeated his demand.
As she picked up her phone to do it, Mutch threw his own phone at her but missed.
She then left, with Mutch “apologising and begging her to stay”.
The woman terminated the relationship and blocked Mutch, but he repeatedly contacted her by phone and email, even contacting a friend to ask her to unblock him.
The relationship was briefly rekindled but the pair separated again, with Mutch this time leaving nine voicemails saying he would turn up at her address, was outside her address and asking her to meet him.
‘Jealous behaviour and neediness over lockdown’
Another reconciliation and break-up followed, and Mutch sent seven emails without reply before the woman warned she would contact police if he didn’t leave her alone.
However, the contact didn’t stop, and Mutch demanded to know who the woman had been on a date with.
Mutch, of Mearns Street, Aberdeen, admitted engaging in a course of behaviour which was abusive of his partner by monitoring her use of social media, repeatedly accusing her of infidelity, repeatedly calling her derogatory and abusive names and shouting and threatening her with violence.
He also repeatedly made threatening gestures, threw a mobile phone at her, repeatedly phoned her and left voicemails, contacted her friends to get messages to her, repeatedly sent her emails and repeatedly turned up at her home uninvited.
Defence agent Gregor Kelly said that although Mutch did not cause the woman any physical harm, “his jealous behaviour and neediness over lockdown and inability to accept the relationship was over” would have distressed her.
He also suggested Mutch would benefit from completing a domestic abuse programme.
Sheriff Graham Buchanan described the conduct as “nasty, controlling behaviour” and imposed two years of supervision as a direct alternative to custody.
He also ordered Mutch to complete the Caledonian programme and imposed a five-year non-harassment order.
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