A grandmother who rekindled a romance with a school sweetheart on Facebook ended up terrified after he made threats to murder her.
Thomas Balmer, 44, was jailed for 27 months after a court heard he threatened to put "a bullet in the brain" of Susan Hamilton.
Fiscal deputy Charmaine Cole told the court Balmer and Mrs Hamilton had a relationship for about two years when they were teenagers.
But it ended when she was 18 and moved away. She married and had five children.
Ms Cole added: "Around 2011 she began to suffer from depression and her marriage was having difficulties.
"She joined social network site Facebook and saw the accused had a profile. Contact was instigated and they began to communicate.
"She and her husband separated and she entered a relationship with the accused."
But in 2012, when she told the accused the relationship was finished, Mrs Hamilton got a text message from him which said: "You would need to be dead for me to move on. One of us will have to die for the other to get on with living a normal life."
Ms Cole said the victim was "beside herself with worry and terrified".
Three days later Balmer left a chilling message on her answer phone. It said: "You're going die soon. I'm going to put a bullet in your brain. It's coming."
The court was told the call was made in a calm voice which was "particularly menacing".
Sheriff Alasdair Brown said Balmer – who has a history of stalking estranged girlfriends – had issued "a clear threat to commit murder".
- HeraldScotland
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