An alcoholic who harassed his former partner over a long period has been imprisoned.
During the ordeal, Michael Gray repeatedly caused the woman “fear and alarm”.
Yesterday, at Elgin Sheriff Court, the 55-year-old, who is currently in custody at Barlinnie, was jailed for nearly two years.
In February last year, Gray attached a “menu” to the car belonging to the neighbours of his former partner, Jill Rush, at Seatown in Cullen.
Fiscal Martina Eastwood said: “It suggested Jill Rush was a prostitute and displayed rates for different romps.”
The harassment began in February 2014 when Mrs Rush started receiving emails from Gray and, despite blocking the address and asking him to desist, he continued.
Over the course of two years, Gray parked outside Mrs Rush’s home repeatedly, made telephone calls and left items, including a ring, for her.
Mrs Rush received a letter from Gray with sexual content at her home on January 11 this year, which contained £40 and asked how much it would cost to “massage you and tickle your toes”. The letter also referred to them as “friends with benefits”.
The abuse stopped on February 15 after Gray burnt a hole in the top of his former wife’s soft-top car by setting fire to a scarf and putting it inside a bottle of flammable liquid
Defence solicitor Brent Lockie said his client had been in danger of “drinking himself to death” during the two years of harassment. Mrs Eastwood said Gray’s drinking had been cited as being behind the couple’s break-up.
Sheriff Linda Smith agreed that Mrs Rush had been “remarkably patient” throughout the abuse. Gray was sentenced to 22 months in prison for causing her fear or alarm between February 2014 and January this year, sending a sexual letter to her, damaging her car and breaching his bail.
He was also banned from contacting his ex-partner for three years.
