A Callander man appeared in the dock after making a derogatory remark to a friend’s neighbour – against the backdrop of allegations that cameras had been pointed at her home across the road.
Douglas Donaldson, of McLaren Terrace, turned up at the man’s door in the town’s Campbell Court on an evening in August this year.
He had admitted a charge of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner - likely to cause a reasonable person to suffer fear or alarm – by shouting and swearing.
The charge originally stated that 50-year-old Donaldson had made threats of a violent nature.
However, his not guilty plea to an amended charge, which made no mention of this, had been accepted by the Crown.
The fiscal depute told Stirling Sheriff Court on Wednesday that the witness had been sleeping on his living room sofa at 8.10pm on Wednesday August 24 this year and was woken by the sound of a knock on the front door.
When he went to the door he saw Donaldson standing on the doorstep shouting.
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The fiscal depute added: “[Donaldson] was then heard to shout: Come out you big f***y.’”
She also told the court that the accused’s female friend lived across Campbell Court from the complainer - adding: “There had been some issues between the female friend and the witness regarding cameras at the property.”
Police were contacted and attended at the address..
The court heard Donaldson was arrested and made no reply to caution and charge.
Donaldson’s agent Virgil Crawford told Sheriff Keith O’Mahony that there had been an issue about cameras directed at the home of Donaldson’s female friend.
When Donaldson shouted the remark, the complainer, Mr Crawford pointed out, looked through the keyhole, but did not open the front door.
At that point Donaldson left, he added.
Mr Crawford also told Sheriff O’Mahony that Donaldson had no outstanding court matters.
Sheriff O’Mahony deferred sentence on Donaldson until January 11 next year for good behaviour.
He told him: “You have been out of trouble for a number of years.
“I want to make sure this event is effectively a one-off one and not the start of you getting into trouble again.”
