A MAN who bombarded an old friend with unwanted emails sent a menacing message on the ‘anniversary of her betrayal’. And when arrested by police, he declared: “I shouldn’t have had that drink last night.”

At Glasgow Sheriff Court, Neil Mackay admitted engaging in a course of conduct between January 1, 2011 and January 17, 2015 that caused a woman fear and alarm.

The fiscal depute told the court that Mackay and the woman had been pals since primary school. They had been on family holidays together, however during a trip to America the friendship turned sour.

Mackay, 26, hoped to pursue a romantic relationship, however the victim wished to keep things strictly platonic.

The woman, who was in a relationship with another man, phoned her partner regularly while on holiday. Mackay got jealous and accused her of betraying him.

When back home, the victim told Mackay that she did not want to keep in touch. However, he continued to email her despite being asked to stop.

The woman eventually contacted the police about his behaviour after he sent a message on the ‘fourth anniversary of her betrayal’ and stated that he had seen her friends and was looking forward to the day he could “show her up”.

When cautioned by officers, Mackay said: “What will I get for this? I’m going to jail for this. I shouldn’t have had that drink last night.”

In defence it was highlighted that the woman saw the relationship as a friendship only, however Mackay saw more in it.

The lawyer explained that the victim was aware that her boyfriend bullied the accused at school, which is why he saw their relationship as a betrayal.

As there has been no communication between the two since Mackay’s arrest in 2015, the defence agent did not feel that a Non-Harassment Order was warranted. The sheriff agreed.

Mackay, of Woodend Drive, was sentenced to a Community Payback Order with supervision for one year. He was also instructed to engage with mental health professionals as directed.