News / Man jailed for continually harassing former partner
REPEATEDLY breaching a non-harassment order and leaving his former partner “constantly looking over her shoulder” landed a 46-year-old man with another four-month prison term on Monday.
Paul Stevens, of 18 Harbour Street, Lerwick, was jailed for a similar offence in May. At Lerwick Sheriff Court on Monday he admitted to having reoffended within days of his release.
He pleaded guilty to posting a letter intended for his ex-partner on Sunday (3 July), as well as repeatedly attending her mother’s address in the town’s North Road and asking her to pass messages on.
Procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie said it was the third time Stevens had breached the non-harassment order.
Stevens claimed he did not know that indirect contact was prohibited, but Mackenzie said the court had made that “abundantly clear” to him.
He had posted notes “professing his feelings” for the woman and attended her mother’s house three times yesterday.
Mackenzie said it was difficult to fully convey the effect Stevens’ behaviour was having on his former partner.
His persistence leaves her living in a “state of hyper-awareness”, always looking over her shoulder.
Defence agent Tommy Allan said his client had found custody “a real struggle” and he was intending to seek employment to enable him to leave Shetland.
He added that previous breaches had included phone calls and threats, but there was none of that on this occasion.
Allan added that the communication was “by way of a goodbye” and Stevens had not been seeking any response from the woman.
Sheriff Philip Mann told Stevens: “I don’t know how the message is going to get through to you. You breached this within a matter of days after being released from your last spell.”
He sentenced him to four months in prison, reduced from six months to reflect his early plea.
Sheriff Mann also imposed a new non-harassment order for an indefinite period preventing Stevens from contacting both his former partner and her mother.
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