POLICE SCOTLAND EMPLOYEE ACCUSED OF HARASSING NEIGHBOURS FOR FIVE MONTHS
A SERVING Police Scotland employee has appeared in court accused of engaging in a five month campaign of harassment towards two of his neighbours.David Knox is said to have repeatedly acted in an intimidating manner towards the couple, waving and laughing at them and making offensive and threatening remarks about them.
Some of the conduct is alleged to have taken place at Dunfermline Police Station.
Knox, 47, is accused of throwing food onto the roof of his neighbours' home in Ochiltree, Dunblane, falsely reporting they had a gas leak, causing Scottish Gas Network engineers to turn up; and falsely reporting them to the SSPCA for neglecting their cat, causing an inspector from the animal welfare charity to attend to check.
He is also accused of repeatedly reporting the couple to the police falsely, alleging domestic abuse, child abuse and neglect, resulting in police repeatedly attending to investigate; and making a similar false claim about them to the child welfare charity the NSPCC.
It is also alleged that he purposely reversed his car to block in his neighbour's car and left it there; and made a complaint that one of the neighbours had “purposefully not served him” at the local chemist's where she worked, knowing this to be untrue and that there was no reason to complain about her conduct.
On the occasion that he is said to have made the bogus report of the gas leak, it is alleged he also told the Scottish Gas Network that his neighbour was “aggressive and violent” – knowing this to be false as well as knowing there was no gas leak.
Knox, whose address was given as Ochiltree, Dunblane, appeared at Stirling Sheriff Court on Tuesday in answer to an undertaking, charged with engaging in a course of conduct towards the couple which caused them fear or alarm – the offence commonly known as stalking – between April 9 and September 8.
He is alleged to have engaged in the behaviour at Dunfermline Police Station; at Ochiltree, Dunblane; and at a chemist's in Dunblane.
Sheriff Keith O'Mahony continued the case without plea until November 4 and released Knox on bail.
