A sheriff in Elgin said it was “beyond belief” that a pair of 55-year-old twin sisters have found themselves in court following a bitter family feud.
Identical twins Natalie Main and Alison Bowden – both 55 – admitted separate charges involving their older sister Karen Cowie.
Bowden pleaded guilty to a charge of stalking while Main admitted acting in a way that was threatening or abusive.
The court heard that the siblings had not spoken for five years following “various” family disagreements and Mrs Cowie had blocked both her sisters on her phone.
Things came to a head when Bowden’s son was getting married but neither his own mother nor her twin were invited to the wedding.
Fiscal depute Karen Poke told the court that Mr and Mrs Cowie had attended the wedding of their nephew on August 4 this year, but the groom’s mother and her twin had not been invited.
‘She was annoyed that she had not been invited to her son’s wedding’
Having discovered her son had been married, Bowden went to the Cowie’s home address “feeling aggrieved” and began shouting and swearing.
Mrs Poke said: “She was annoyed that she had not been invited to her son’s wedding. Mrs Cowie’s husband came to the door and told her to leave telling her she wasn’t welcome.”
The court heard that Mr Cowie said he overheard Bowden say: “We are not finished with her yet” and he regarded this as a threat to his wife.
On August 17, Main went to Mrs Cowie’s place of work and hurled more abuse, once again declaring she was “not finished” her.
She also refused to leave, stating: “I want a f***ing word with you”.
Sinister poison pen letter sent
Mrs Cowie was left “very shaken” by the encounter, the court was told, and she called her husband to collect her from work.
Whilst he was on his way to collect his wife, Mr Cowie also encountered his estranged sister-in-law.
She told him she had left a letter at their house – and reiterated that she “was not finished with them”.
The letter addressed to Mr Cowie contained various allegations and the situation “put a strain on their marriage”, Mrs Poke said.
On August 18, Bowden went to her estranged sister’s workplace and aggressively declared she was “the mum”. Staff at the business had to close the shop door to eject her.
“She continued to shout before she left,” Mrs Poke added.
A few days later the Cowies received letters from Bowden in which she threatened “the whole of Lossie will know what you did”.
In October she sent another sinister poison-pen note which included pictures from the wedding with faces of people scratched out.
‘I don’t ever want to see her again’
After receiving another abusive letter on October 15, Mrs Cowie suffered a panic attack and was taken to Dr Gray’s hospital. Police were contacted the following day.
Main and Bowden appeared at Elgin Sheriff Court without legal representation and Sheriff David Hardie asked them in turn if they had anything to say.
Main, of Christie Road, Elgin, said she was sorry for her actions and assured Sheriff Hardie it would never happen again.
She added: “I never swore at her – you don’t swear at a place of work or hit or steal. This is finished completely.”
Bowden, of Barbour Road, Nairn, also apologised “for everything”.
She told the sheriff: “I am a single mother – I found out my son was getting married and my older sister was there. I don’t ever want to see her again.
“I have no relationship with my son – I have lost everything.”
Sheriff Hardie commented that is was “beyond belief” that the two had found themselves in court for the first time.
Twin asks for non-harassment order to be made ‘for life’
He told the pair that they had subjected Mrs Cowie to a prolonged campaign of abuse and not a “one-off”.
Sheriff Hardie told them: “The Cowies gave you both some leeway before they got the police involved.
“I am going to impose a non-harassment order on you which you should not have any difficulty with as this matter is, as you say, finished.”
He warned the pair if they breach the order they will not be treated so leniently and added: “You have the control to follow the order or not.”
Main interjected and, referring to the non-harassment order, asked Sheriff Hardie if he could “make it for life sir?” – to which Bowden nodded in agreement.
But the sheriff quieted them, replying: “Quit while you are ahead.”
Sentence was deferred for 12 months for them both to be of good behaviour.
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