Text threat man "terrified" three females

TWO women and a young girl were left “shaking with fear” when a man who had sent threatening text messages banged on their door, a court heard.

Dingwall Sheriff Court heard on Thursday that Graham O’Connell had warned his ex-girlfriend in a text “he was going to find her and be violent towards them” before he turned up at the Conon Bridge home of the friend she was visiting and tried to get in.

The woman was visiting a friend and her daughter in Windsor Place on May 16 when she began receiving text messages from her ex-boyfriend, O’Connell.

Depute fiscal Heather Swan said at first the texts were not offensive.

“But they became abusive and threatening,” said Ms Swan.

The depute fiscal said that O’Connell of Creag Dhubh Terrace, Inverness, said “he was going to find her and be violent towards them.”

Ms Swan added: “Shortly after 8pm there was a loud bang at the front door. O’Connell was striking the front door. They were scared, terrified that he might gain entry. She ran downstairs to check the doors were locked then ran upstairs to join the others in a bedroom.”

The women then heard O’Connell at the rear door and the police were called.

The depute fiscal said the women were “shaking with fear” when police arrived.

“Police said all three were in a state of shock and visibly upset,” he said.

O’Connell (23) admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner likely to cause fear or alarm by sending threatening texts, repeatedly striking the front and rear doors of a house and shouting aggressively at the occupants.

Sheriff Alasdair MacFadyen deferred sentence until July 19 for social work reports.