KILMACOLM MAN SENTENCED AFTER CONVICTIONS FOR STALKING
A KILMACOLM man has been ordered to stay away from his neighbours after he was convicted of stalking them amid a row over access rights.Peter Muirhead was found guilty of two charges in January following a lengthy trial at Greenock Sheriff Court in which evidence was heard over the course of nine days.
Sheriff James Spy found that the 59-year-old had engaged in a course of conduct which caused a man and woman to suffer fear and alarm at their Barclaven Road home between November 2021 and April 2022.
This included incidents in which he repeatedly stared towards their house, looked through windows, and took photographs of the property.
Muirhead was also convicted of behaving in a similar manner towards the couple in April and May of 2023, by repeatedly walking past their home, looking in their front door, and waving towards their dwelling.
He returned to court on Friday for sentencing, with a social work report having been prepared in advance of the hearing.
Sheriff Spy was asked by the Crown to consider imposing a non-harassment order (NHO) which would forbid Muirhead from approaching or contacting the two complainers, or accessing Overton Road, for the next five years.
Instead, a two-year NHO was imposed banning Muirhead from having any contact with the couple – except through solicitors – and from entering the curtilage of their property.
He was also ordered to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work within the next 15 months.