A Banff man who tried to control his former girlfriend by including himself in her phone calls and sending her unwanted messages has been handed two weeks to prove he can turn his life around.
Calvin Arnold, 24, had been scheduled to be sentenced on Wednesday for his campaign of abuse against his ex but was given a last-minute reprieve when custody was described as being on the horizon.
The court heard how Arnold was already the subject of multiple community payback orders for previous matters which he had thus far not completed.
Tried to prevent girlfriend contacting friends
Fiscal depute Kirsty Martin gave a narrative of Arnold’s 10-month relationship with his victim ahead of sentencing.
She said the pair were living at his girlfriend’s mum’s house at the time and his partner felt every time she received a text message he would ask to know who it was from.
“The complainer’s mother would hear many arguments between the complainer and the accused, where the accused would complain about the complainer’s friends and interactions with males,” Ms Martin added.
“The accused advised the complainer than he did not want her to see her friends, telling her he didn’t like them and demanded that she spend time with him.
“The accused would also make sure that he was in the room with the complainer when she was on phone calls with friends and would often tell her to mute calls so that he could complain about the friends and question their topics of conversation.”
They broke up in June after an incident in the home when Arnold referred to the woman as “a b****”.
Despite this, Arnold would make multiple attempts to rekindle things.
On July 2 last year, he made a series of calls to her from a withheld number and left five voicemails.
In one, he told his ex that “there were people upset with [her]” and that he “needed to know how to protect her”.
Ms Martin said this caused his ex to become afraid.
Days later, he stood outside her property by a bus stop and would, over a period of about 15 minutes, knock on her door and walk away.
‘I think custody is on the horizon’
Arnold’s defence solicitor, Patrick O’Dea, said his client had “a lot on his plate”.
“He really is at a crossroads in his life,” Mr O’Dea added.
“I really think he’s reached the end of his rope unless he can convince the court that he will engage and make meaningful progress. I think custody is on the horizon, if not already in front of him.
“What I would invite my lord to do is to defer sentence, in the first instance, for as little as two weeks.
“If he has not engaged over that period, and he’s not engaged meaningfully over that period, then he’s bringing custody upon himself very rapidly.”
Presiding over the hearing, Sheriff Robert McDonald agreed and called for up-to-date reports on Arnold’s progress with his existing orders.
Addressing Arnold, whose address was given as Academy Drive, he said he would now need to show progress in getting his work completed and work alongside the social work department to do so.
“We’re trying to find a solution to keep you out of jail,” the sheriff said.
“I need to see all of that. If it is satisfactory, or encouraging, I will then consider ordering a psychologic report to see if we can do something other than a custodial sentence for the present case. It’s up to you over the next two weeks.
“If you make an effort, then there’s a possibility we can make an effort to keep you out of jail.”
Anderson will return to court on May 14.