OFFENDER SENTENCED FOR VILE ABUSE TOWARD EX-WIFE AFTER DISCOVERING SHE JOINED DATING WEBSITE
A divorced father has been convicted of subjecting his estranged wife to a series of disgusting messages after discovering she had joined a dating site.Mario de Stefano, who is 55 years old, sent hundreds of abusive, derogatory, and menacing texts—some totaling 91 messages on Christmas Day alone—via WhatsApp.
Although their marriage, which lasted 23 years, ended a year prior, it wasn't until he learned she joined a dating platform that he unleashed this torrent of abuse.
De Stefano admitted to sending these abusive messages and was sentenced at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.
According to the prosecution, Dylan Middleton, the fiscal depute, stated: “The messages, sent via Whatsapp, included 91 messages on December 25th between 9.06 pm and 10.45 pm.
These contained a mixture of English and Italian swear words and were all abusive.” Among the insults, he branded her a “bitch in heat” and wished she would “die of Aids.” The prosecutor also noted that the abuse extended towards his daughter, which led to police intervention.
De Stefano, who now resides in Glasgow, was taken into custody by the police.
His legal representative, David Sutherland, expressed that his client was “ashamed” of his behavior and acknowledged the end of the marriage, stating, “He now accepts the marriage is over and there’s no prospect of rekindling it.
He expressed regret over the matter and believes his wife didn’t deserve the fairly appalling manner in which he behaved towards her.” Considering his previous record, Sheriff William Summers acknowledged the distress his actions caused but noted that De Stefano had no prior trouble with the law.
The sheriff fined him £940 and imposed a non-harassment order for three years to prevent further contact.
