Connor Clark: Stalker bombarded ex-girlfriend with hundreds of unwanted messages

Connor Clark, 26, stalked his victim by sending hundreds of unwanted emails, voicemails and social media requests over a 10-month period to an address in Barrhead, and elsewhere, after she ended their relationship.

The engineering undergraduate appeared before Sheriff Sukhwinder Gill at Paisley Sheriff Court last week and admitted charges of persistently and repeatedly contacting his former partner, following their split on December 20, 2018.

He sent her 46 emails over a course of two days between January 10 and 11 last year and a further 17 emails on January 24.

The court heard how the stalking was so severe that Heriot Watt University authorities moved his victim’s accommodation “for her own safety.”

But she eventually dropped out of her course to avoid seeing him at the Edinburgh campus.

Procurator fiscal depute Ruth Cockburn explained: “The complainer had told the accused that the relationship was over and did not want any contact but the accused used social media applications, voicemails, the university email and his personal email to contact the complainer.”

Whilst on holiday in March last year, Clark sent his ex-girlfriend messages and follower requests on the social media platform Instagram from numerous different profiles.

Following this, she contacted the police.

The court heard the unwanted contact continued until October.

Defence solicitor Lynsey Brown said Clark, of Bathgate, West Lothian, only wanted to rekindle the relationship, which had lasted 16 months.

She added: “He had insecurities and there was jealously in the relationship. He would not accept the relationship was over.”

Sheriff Gill told Clark: “You are a young man of 26 and you now have a conviction for stalking over a 10-month period.”

She handed him a three-year Non-Harassment Order, preventing him from approaching or contacting his ex-girlfriend, and deferred sentence for six months for him to be of good behaviour.