A nightmare neighbour has admitted a stalking charge after bombarding the owner of the Highland holiday rental next door with abusive and racist emails.
Kevin Coghill sent his victim a series of profanity-laden emails complaining about “yapping dogs” and the guests who were staying at the property in Auchterawe, near Fort Augustus.
Coghill, 56, insulted the man’s Indian heritage and called him a “money-grabbing c***” during the communications, which a sheriff today branded “abuse, pure and simple”.
Sheriff Gary Aitken told Coghill his victim was “entitled to run an Airbnb or a holiday let” and that “resorting to repeated sustained abuse is simply unacceptable in today’s society”.
Neighbourly relations were deteriorating
Inverness Sheriff Court was told that at the time of the offence, in the summer of 2020, the accused and the complainer owned neighbouring properties.
Fiscal depute Adele Gray said: “In 2020 the witness had the home available as a property let.”
The court heard that the pair had previously exchanged contact details, but when the owner of the holiday let felt relations were deteriorating he asked Coghill not to contact him unless it related to his guests.
On June 12 Coghill sent the man an email complaining about dogs belonging to guests at the property, describing them as “yapping c*** dogs”.
He went on to describe guests at the property as “c***s, p****s and f***s”.
‘I’m sure your dead dad is proud’
On August 22 Coghill sent more abusive emails, this time referring to the property owner’s ethnicity and calling him a “money-grabbing c***”. He also made reference to the man’s “penny-pinching Indian heritage”.
In one email, he told the man: “I’m sure your dead dad is proud of how much of a c*** you are.”
Coghill also went on to refer to guests at the property as “c*** tourists” and “c***ing English f***ing guests”.
The profanity was used repeatedly and it was after these emails that the witness contacted police.
Coghill appeared for sentencing having previously admitted a single charge of engaging in a course of conduct which caused fear or alarm and which was racially aggravated.
‘It is abuse, pure and simple’
Solicitor Duncan Henderson, for Coghill, told the court that his client accepted that “he is the one who is entirely in the wrong”.
He offered his client’s apologies to both the court and complainer, adding: “He is entitled to have a dispute with his neighbour, what he is not entitled to do is to behave as he did.”
Sheriff Gary Aitken told Coghill: “You may well move into a property with a vacant property, and be delighted about how quiet it is, but unless you buy the property yourself, there is no reason to expect it will remain that way.”
He said: “It is abuse, pure and simple. You were bothered by a dog barking next to you. Imagine what it would be like if somebody was flooding you with filth of this kind.”
Handing down a fine of £1,040 Sheriff Aitken warned Coghill, of Forest Lodge, Auchterawe: “Repeated contact of this kind is likely to lead to a jail sentence.”
