An Aberdeen woman who was preyed upon by a sinister stalker has spoken of her relief now that he is finally behind bars.
Scott Emslie tormented and terrorised Catherine Tiphanie and sprayed vile abuse over her car during his months-long campaign of psychological abuse.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard how Emslie had already been under an 18-month court order to stay away from Ms Tiphanie but waited for it to expire before stalking her night and day.
Ms Tiphanie, 55, said Emslie simply “counted down the days” for the non-harassment order to run out before he walked into a sauna at her gym and tried to strike up a conversation like nothing had happened.
Emslie, 30, has now been jailed for two-and-a-half years and made subject to an eight-year non-harassment order by Sheriff Lindsay Foulis.
The sheriff characterised Emslie’s behaviour as having a “sinister character” and said he suffered from issues that he “has to address”.
Following the sentence, Ms Tiphanie described it as “probably the best” outcome she could’ve hoped for.
“I’ve had to put up with this for years and it’s only my tenacity and documenting everything that has got me to where I am now,” she added.
“What we got today was really all down to my hard work, I believe.”
‘He is addicted to me’
The pair met during lockdown, with Ms Tiphanie breaking off the relationship soon after.
Emslie took it badly, kicking in her front door, which earned him an 18-month court order to stay away from her.
Just days after it ended though, he resumed his stalking campaign.
“[Emslie] has an addictive personality and he is addicted to me,” his victim said.
Fiscal depute Alan Townsend told the court how days after Emslie’s initial non-harassment order not to approach Ms Tiphanie ran out on February 17 2022, he emailed her demanding money “as compensation for his mental health”.
Days later she was at Al Fresco Italian restaurant when Emslie knocked on the window and stood there for half an hour.
Thankfully, the staff helped her escape out a back door.
On the same day, Ms Tiphanie went to His Majesty’s Theatre and left about 10pm.
Out of nowhere, Emslie appeared beside her, and stated: “Don’t make a fuss.”
She replied, “Stay away from me” and ran into the same restaurant she had been in before, where she stayed for an hour before going home.
As she walked along the street, she saw Emslie standing on Crown Street and he said that he needed to speak to her. Again, Ms Tiphanie told him to “stay away”.
On March 6 2022, she was entering her gym at Nuffield Health when she again encountered Emslie, who called her a “b****”.
Between March 18 and 27 Ms Tiphanie was on holiday when she received a text message which read: “Are you enjoying your time away?”
She found this unusual as she had not informed Emslie she was going away.
Concern stalker might contact victim’s father
On April 2, Ms Tiphanie heard her Ring doorbell sound and when she opened the door Emslie was standing there.
She slammed the door but when she tried to leave hours later, he was still there.
He started shouting abuse and calling her a “b**** as she hurried back inside and contacted the police.
On June 5, Ms Tiphanie posted about the well-being of her father on Facebook, when she received a notification from a “Scott Emslie” which said: “Haha, looking great. I might go see him.”
This made her frightened that Emslie might try to contact her father.
Supermarket stalking
Later the same day, she was in Lidl in Torry when she saw Emslie who began following her up and down the aisles.
Ms Tiphanie informed staff that she had a stalker and they escorted her to her vehicle as Emslie watched on from the car park.
On Monday July 4 2022, Ms Tiphanie received a text message which said: “Hi Catherine just standing on blue bridge down from Ogilvie Road.
“Retracing my steps … maybe go to the ship inn for some Cullen skink wink wink. I hope Julian is keeping well I’ve been doing a lot of painting recently, I really think you would like it. I hope your knee is better. Take care”.
“Although she did not recognise the number she believed this to be from the accused as they ate Cullen skink once at the Ship Inn, Dundee and this was information that only the accused would know,” the fiscal depute told the court.
Six days later, Ms Tiphanie parked her car and went inside for the rest of the evening. At this time all was in order, and that car was not damaged.
During the night she received an abusive text message from an unknown number and the following morning she was informed by a neighbour that someone had painted the word ‘Slag’ on the passenger side of her car. She again contacted police.
On July 13, Ms Tiphanie was again at Al Fresco restaurant when a staff member who was driving by saw Emslie hiding close to the restaurant.
He made eye contact with him and Emslie ran off towards Ferryhill Road.
As the staff member gave her a lift home, Emslie was seen standing at the junction of Ferryhill Road smiling at them.
The following day, Ms Tiphanie was awoken by a neighbour who informed her that her car had been vandalised once again, this time spray-painted with the word ‘c***’ with a smiley face above it.
CCTV identified Emslie as the person responsible.
The total cost of the damage caused by the two incidents was £555.
Appearing in the dock, Emslie pleaded guilty to one charge of stalking between February 24 and July 14 2022.
Accused had ‘forlorn hope’ relationship would be rekindled
Defence solicitor Mike Monro described his client as “at best an immature 30-year-old” and at worst a man who perpetrated “psychological abuse”.
“The situation is that the accused knows what he has done,” he said.
“He had worked on the forlorn hope that any relationship between the two could be resurrected.
“There was no physical abuse towards the complainer but it has to be accepted that there was psychological abuse.”
Sheriff Foulis told Emslie that it “requires little or no insight to appreciate the consequences of his behaviour”.
He said: “You were made subject to a non-harassment order lasting for 18 months in August 2020 – that order expired in February 2022 – and somewhat coincidentally the behaviour that forms the subject matter of the charge commences.”
The sheriff sentenced Emslie, of Holburn Street, Aberdeen, to 30 months in prison with a 12-month supervised release order following his release.
He also made Emslie subject to an eight-year non-harassment order.
Asked what advice she would give to other women in her situation, Ms Tiphanie said: “Document everything to protect yourselves.
“Don’t assume that the bodies that are supposed to protect you will do their job, and if you get the opportunity to present yourself in court – make sure the people that are supposed to protect you see your face.”
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