Aviemore man stalked wife of 30 years because he thought she was having affair

A wife of around 30 years was suspected of having an affair by her husband who followed her movements and repeatedly sent her offensive and abusive messages, even when she was abroad.

Inverness Sheriff Court was told that when 58 year old Gerard Wright of Munro Place, Aviemore was arrested by police he said he was not stalking his wife but ‘investigating’.

However Wright was charged by police with engaging in a course of conduct liable to cause the woman fear and alarm which is commonly known as stalking.

Wright admitted the offence which was committed between August 7 and September 24, last year.

Fiscal depute Sophie Marshall told Sheriff Eilidh Macdonald that Wright would turn up unexpectedly at a cafe in Grantown where the woman was sitting and also at Glasgow Airport when she returned from Spain.

The prosecutor said he also changed his social media profile photograph to one of the couple in which he altered her image to look like Pinocchio, suggesting she was lying to him.

He pleaded guilty to continually sending her abusive and offensive messages, sometimes of a sexual nature, and posting offensive remarks on social media.

Defence solicitor Willie Young provided a letter written by his client to Sheriff Macdonald explaining his position and added: "He was in a relationship for around 30 years and he was vexed that certain representations had been made and he wanted to get to the bottom of it.

“He overstepped the mark."

Placing Wright under a year's social work supervision and banning him from contacting or approaching his wife, Sheriff Macdonald told him: "You behaved totally inappropriately which must have been frightening for your wife."