A Moray man has been ordered to pay his ex-partner £400 in compensation after threatening to “torture” her during a bitter telephone tirade.
Jeffrey Bruce, of Craigview Road in Portknockie, promised he would make Mauren Wood’s “life hell”, after tempers flared almost 18 months on from their break-up.
The pair broke up in December 2014 after seven years together.
But Bruce, 45, made “obscene” calls to Ms Wood on Sunday, April 30 this year.
Elgin Sheriff Court heard yesterday that Ms Wood realised that she had 40 missed calls from Bruce that day, and when she called to tackle him on them she received the vile threats.
Fiscal Martina Eastwood said she put her phone on speaker mode so a friend could hear what was being said, and recorded the conversation to later play to the police.
The fiscal read out specific quotes, such as “I have been up all night thinking about how I’m going to torture you” and “you are going to have a life of hell”.
Bruce later admitted to making repeated calls which were “grossly offensive” and of a “menacing character” and appeared for sentencing yesterday.
His solicitor, Stephen Carty, said that relations between the estranged couple deteriorated once they both started seeing other people.
He added: “My client accepts that the comments he made were unacceptable.”
Sheriff Chris Dickson referenced Bruce’s “limited record”, but said the “distressing” nature of the comments meant he should compensate his former partner for the ordeal.
