Moray man sent former partner death threats after abrupt end to relationship, Elgin Sheriff Court hears

A Mosstodloch man who bombarded his former partner with abusive and threatening messages before being caught drink-driving and resisting arrest has been banned from the roads, fined and ordered to carry out unpaid work.

Scott Winchester, 53, received a text from his now ex-partner on April 1 this year informing him that their relationship was over.

Shortly after, the woman received a barrage of 60 messages from him which were initially affectionate in tone, asking her to go for a walk and expressing his love for her, but they quickly turned abusive.

The tone of the messages escalated dramatically with Winchester using phrases such as “I will kill you,” “You’ve done me wrong now,” and “Be warned”.

The woman did not respond to the messages but did contact the police.

On April 2, police officers attended an address in Keith and observed a blue Peugeot which eventually went out of view.

The vehicle was found held up in traffic and the officers found Winchester in the driver seat.

They noted that his speech was “slurred” and his eyes were red which they concluded was as a result of alcohol.

A breath test was conducted and provided a positive result but when the officers attempted to arrest him he “flailed” his arms and his legs in an effort to hinder them.

He was eventually taken to Elgin Police Station.

It was found that he had 125 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The limit is 22.

Sheriff David Harvie disqualified Winchester from driving for a period of 14 months and he was fined £600.

Completion of a drink driver rehabilitation course could reduce the ban by three months.

Sheriff Harvie also imposed a non-harassment order for a period of one year, placed him under 18 months of supervision and ordered him to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work to be completed within six months.