An “obsessed” stalker bombarded an Aberdeen woman he thought was his “soul mate” with abuse and even assaulted her when she spurned his advances.
Brandon Skinner “continually” left the woman abusive voicemails when she decided she no longer wished to be friends with him due to his violent nature.
That prompted the 24-year-old to threaten that he would spread vicious rumours about her and even an assault, which he bragged “the police aren’t going to do anything” about.
But the police did do something – and Skinner has now appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and admitted a string of charges.
‘You’re a liar, you never listen’
Fiscal depute Claire Stewart told the court: “The complainer and accused previously attended college together and became friends and would regularly socialise.
“The complainer realised the violent side of the accused and so no longer wanted to be friends.
“The accused reacted to this by continually phoning her and leaving abusive voicemails stating ‘I’ll tell everyone you’re a slag’ and ‘you’ll get what’s coming to you’.”
The woman eventually blocked Skinner, but on an occasion in 2021 he approached her in Aberdeen city centre after spotting her leaving the nightclub Underground.
He started shouting and swearing at her, calling her a “f****** slut”.
On another occasion, on February 5 2022, the woman again left Underground and met her parents, whom she started to walk home with before spotting Skinner staring at her from a bus stop.
When challenged by her father and asked to leave her alone, Skinner claimed he was just “looking out for her”.
‘The police aren’t going to do anything, you liar’
Around 5pm on June 27 2022, the woman left her home to walk to her boyfriend’s house when she saw Skinner and a friend “staring at her and laughing”.
She initially tried to ignore them and continue walking, but the pair began to shout and swear at her.
The frightened woman ducked down behind a wall in a bid to hide from them, but Skinner spotted her, walked up and “grabbed her by the face and pushed her against the wall”.
He shouted: “The police aren’t going to do anything, you liar.”
On Union Terrace on February 1 2022, the woman was out with a friend around 8.30pm when Skinner began to follow them shouting abuse and swearing.
He said: “You’re a liar, you never listen.”
Skinner, of King Street, Aberdeen, pled guilty to stalking the woman between October 1 2020 and June 27 2022 at various locations in the city.
He also admitted assaulting her and behaving in a threatening or abusive manner towards her.
Brandon Skinner now understands ‘no’ means ‘no’
Skinner further admitted separate charges of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner towards his father and towards police and assaulting a police officer by kneeing him in the groin and attempting to headbutt him.
Defence agent Gregor Kelly said his client suffered from ADHD and autism but accepted that “offers him no excuse”.
He said: “He became somewhat obsessed with this young lady, that she was his soul mate.
“That was unrequited and clearly he didn’t get the signals.
“He now understands ‘no’ means ‘no’.
“I think he’d welcome supervision and the help of the social work department.”
Sheriff Mark Stewart KC told Skinner: “Your behaviour towards this lady in particular is clearly unacceptable.
“This lady requires comfort and assurance this will never happen again.”
He imposed a two-year supervision order and a one-year non-harassment order.
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