A man locked up last year for breaching a court order banning him from contacting an ex-girlfriend in Perth he was jailed for scalding with hot oil four years ago has been sentenced to serve six months in prison.
Perth Sheriff Court was told on Wednesday last week Andrew Harkins (44) sent a series of WhatsApp messages to his former partner between October 8 and November 16 last year in breach of the order.
Fiscal depute Nicole Lewis told the court: “On October 8 the complainer has received a message from the accused. She engaged in a conversation with him and did not report it at this time.”
Ms Lewis said Harkins went on to send the woman several more messages over the following five weeks which grew ever more hostile, however, and she stopped communicating with him.
A solicitor representing Harkins told the court: “It is clear she did not wish to engage with him and a clear breach of a non-harassment order.”
And he went on to admit of a criminal justice social work prepared on Harkins: “I have to say it does not make for happy reading.”
Harkins, of Damshot Crescent, Glasgow, pled guilty to messaging the woman despite being the subject of a court order made on May 5 last year not to approach, contact or communicate with her nor attempt to.
Sheriff Richard McFarlane noted before sentencing Harkins he was previously the subject of several more non-harassment orders and he had breached some of these too.
Sheriff McFarlane sentenced Harkins to serve six months in prison backdated to December 20 last year when he was first taken into custody for breaching the May 5 order.
Harkins was previously jailed for nine months back in 2018 for scalding his former partner with hot oil from a pan he was using to fry an egg following an argument at a property in Perth.
