Falkirk Court hears offender used Google Maps to track his ex partner's movements

Paul Hughes, 37, appeared at Falkirk Sheriff Court last Thursday having pleaded guilty to behaving in a threatening manner and causing a person fear and alarm at his 49 Wester Newlands Drive, Reddingmuirhead home between October 1 and October 31 last year.

The charges stated Hughes accused his partner of being unfaithful and monitored her movements using Google Maps.

Procurator fiscal depute Ann Orr said: “The accused and the complainer were in a relationship for 11 years prior to them splitting up in October, 2022. The complainer went to Aberdeen with a friend for a weekend.

"She received a message from the accused questioning why she was awake. He accused her of being with another man. The following morning she attempted to ignore the accused, but he phone her asking her why she was ignoring him, saying it must be because she didn’t love him anymore.

"He then told her to go away and have sex with a some man. She ended the relationship and went to her mother’s house, but returned to the accused’s house to get her car.

"The accused went out into the street and began shouting at her so she left. She returned to the address the next day with her mother to retrieve items. The saw the accused was changing the locks, shouting at her ‘you’re not getting into this house’.

"He then shouted about photographs he had of her and said he was going to share them. She knew these were intimate photographs of herself which she had on her laptop, which was in the house with the accused.”

The woman later found out how Hughes had been able to keep taps on her – he had been following her phone movements on Google Maps. She then contacted police about his behaviour.

William McIntyre, defence solicitor, said: “If he doesn’t see her again it will be too soon for him. She led him down the garden path for a while.”

He went on to explain Hughes partner had supposedly run up gambling debts of £25,000 and told him she would kill herself if he did not take out a loan to cover the debt.

"This caused major problems within the relationship,” added Mr McIntyre. “It came to his attention she was seeing another man. She had linked their phones years before and this made it possible for him to track her.

"He now has a new partner and is not interested in contacting her anymore.”

Sheriff Christopher Shead placed Hughes on a supervised community payback order for 18 months with the condition he complete 150 hours of unpaid work within 12 months.

He also made him subject to a non-harassment order not to have any contact whatsoever with his former partner for 12 months.