A Moray man who sprayed liquid manure through his former neighbours’ letterbox in a late night raid has been fined £700.
Stuart Reid sprayed the manure through James and Margaret Jamieson’s letterbox and splashed red paint on their walls as a result of a feud of dog fouling.
The 62-year-old launched his attack at the house in High Street, New Aberdour on September 5 last year.
He previously admitted acting in a threatening and abusive manner towards the couple, and appeared at Peterhead Sheriff Court yesterday for sentencing.
And last night Mr and Mrs Jamieson said they were disappointed at the £700 fine, as they have been left with a repair bill for thousands.
The pair – who will receive £200 in compensation – said they were going to have to pay more than £5,000 to repair the hall carpet, wallpaper and pebble-dash walls of their home.
“They’re a couple zeroes short,” Mrs Jamieson said.
The court heard the attack was because of a six-year grudge that Reid held against the family over dog fouling.
“We had no grudge against the man,” Mr Jamieson said.
He claimed that the feud began when his wife had asked Reid, who now lives at 1 Moray View, Portknockie, to stop allowing his dog to foul against the walls of their home.
It led to an exchange of words between the two men.
“But I spoke to the man whenever he was up and down the road,” Mr Jamieson said. “I still can’t figure out why he’s done such a thing. It’s sad that this has been done to someone’s home.
“It’s us that has to pay for the damage that he’s done. It’s really annoying.”
Defence agent Gail Wiggins told the court that first offender Reid – who also pleaded guilty to being in possession of a knife – was “extremely remorseful” for his behaviour.
She said he had been passing through the village in his car when it broke down and “something within him snapped”.
Ms Wiggins added that her client would be seeking medical support to deal with issues that led him to lash out.
“I am hoping, for Mr Reid’s sake, that referral to psychiatric services will be very positive for him,” she said.
Sheriff Andrew Miller labelled the case as “quite unusual”.
