Stalker ordered to keep away

A SHETLAND man who admitted stalking a local married woman for almost two years has been ordered to keep away from her until 2018.

Ewen MacPherson, of Greenville, Fladdabister, admitted repeatedly contacting the woman by phone and electronically as well as regularly driving past her workplace between March 2011 and the beginning of this month.

He also admitted confronting her in Lerwick’s Da Noost bar and swearing at her, despite twice being warned by police to keep away.

Defence agent Tommy Allan had previously told Lerwick Sheriff Court that his 48 year old client had pursued the woman out of a misplaced sense of affection and he bore her no malice.

On Thursday he said MacPherson “absolutely gets it now” that his behaviour had seriously upset the woman and he wanted to put it all behind him.

However procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie demanded that she be given more than normal levels of protection from his advances, insisting that it was difficult to appreciate the impact of MacPherson’s attention.

Sheriff Philip Mann complied and imposed a five year non-harrassment order, on top of an 18 month supervision order and a £600 fine, describing MacPherson’s behaviour as “appalling”.