EX-FOOTBALLER LEE MAKEL ADMONISHED FOR THREATENING MESSAGES
A FORMER footballer who admitted sending messages threatening to kill his estranged wife and the senior police officer she was having an affair with has failed in his bid to avoid having a criminal conviction.Forty-nine-year-old Lee Makel – who previously played for Blackburn Rovers, Hearts, and Livingston – pleaded guilty at Jedburgh Sheriff Court to threatening and abusive behaviour towards his ex-partner Claire Makel and ex-Police Scotland chief superintendent Gareth Blair.
Despite his lawyer's plea for an absolute discharge to enable him to work as a football coach in America, Sheriff Peter Paterson decided to impose an admonition—indicating no punishment but visible on a criminal record—and a two-year Non-Harassment Order prohibiting any contact with his former wife apart from child-related issues.
The sheriff emphasized that society disapproves of abuse involving partners or ex-partners and that threats to kill are not acceptable.
Makel, who had previously admitted to repeatedly sending abusive and threatening messages—including threats to kill his wife and Mr.
Blair—the offence occurred at their former home in Lauder and other locations between June and September 2019.
The incident was linked to public friction caused by publicity surrounding Ms.
Makel's and Mr.
Blair's involvement in public indecency.
Mr.
Blair, who was fined £750 for public indecency, and Ms.
Makel, whose plea of not guilty was accepted, were involved in the wider context of marital breakdown and public scrutiny.
Makel's lawyer detailed that her client had already faced some punishment through police custody and had lost coaching employment, experiencing significant stress.
She argued there was no need for a harassment order as Makel had moved away and was living with a new partner in York, with no bail breaches and the offence being more than three years old.
However, the prosecuting fiscal highlighted Ms.
Makel's distress, stating she was terrified and devastated by Makel's threats.
The court proceedings revealed that the threats were sent after Makel returned from Dubai, with earlier communications causing her alarm, and that the threats led to police reporting.
Makel was admonished in September 2019 for the threats, with a two-year Non-Harassment Order, reflecting the serious nature of the threats but opting for no criminal conviction due to the circumstances and the offender’s remorse.
