A former radio producer who bombarded a young Highland musician with more than 2,000 phone messages has been spared a jail sentence.
Craig Noble struggled to come to terms with his break-up from acclaimed accordionist Roya MacLean and started pestering her.
She was left “petrified” by his relentless pursuit of her – which only stopped when she reported him to the police.
But a sheriff criticised officers for taking so long to carry out a full investigation and delaying the issuing of a non-harassment order.
Inverness Sheriff Court heard yesterday that besotted Noble sent thousands of phone messages and texts 25-year-old Miss MacLean.
On one day alone, he made 775 attempts to get in touch with her by text or phone call.
Fiscal depute Ruaraidh MacAllister told the court that Miss MacLean, a former presenter at Inverness based Moray Firth Radio where Noble worked, suffered “anxiety and depression” following the three months of unwanted messages between April 1, 2013 and July 11, 2013.
Mr MacAllister said that Noble and Miss MacLean had remained in contact after their break-up due to their work.
But Noble had “taken the break-up badly” and began to bombard her with messages.
Between April 1 and April 9 he made 773 attempts to contact her mobile phone. An exact total of the attempted contacts was believed to be in excess of 2,500.
Mr MacAllister said the tone of Noble’s approaches were “mixed”, describing some as “abusive and aggressive”.
He said: “In some of the messages he appears to be trying to be nice. On occasion he told her how much he still loved her.
“On discovering she had entered into a relationship with another man, he sent a message saying he knew where she was and who she was with.”
He added that Miss MacLean moved back in with her parents as a result of the unwanted attention.
Noble, of 70 Dell Road, Inverness, admitted causing her fear or alarm by repeatedly phoning and texting her between the two dates from an address in Hazel Avenue in Inverness and other locations.
His agent, solicitor Duncan Henderson, said Noble, now a sales rep, wanted to apologise to Miss MacLean.
He said: “His attempts to win her back have gone beyond determined and into the realms of the criminal. For that he is sorry.”
Sheriff Gordon Fleetwood told Noble that he had considered jailing him but had decided against it because of his guilty plea.
Instead he imposed a three-year non-harassment order and ordered him to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work.
The sheriff also criticised the police as Miss MacLean reported Noble to officers in August 2013.
But it was eight months later before the investigation was taken any further.
Sheriff Fleetwood said that a non-harassment order could have been issued far earlier to prevent “unnecessary anxiety” for the victim.
Sheriff Fleetwood said: “It seems that when you report harassment to Police Scotland in Inverness nothing then happens for eight months.”
Last night Miss MacLean said: “I’m just relieved that it is all done now.
“I’m a gigging musician and I was getting back to my flat in the early hours absolutely petrified that he would be there.”
Miss MacLean also criticised the police handling of the case.
She said: “I’m glad the sheriff raised that because the way the police dealt with things prolonged the agony in a way.
“I gave my statement but then never heard anything after that, and had to go back to them to try and get them to do something.
“They just didn’t seem to want to do anything about it.”
A police spokeswoman said they were aware of the case but were unable to comment.
