Fife stalker made vile cancer slur about victim’s sick dad

A Fife stalker told his ex-partner he hoped her dad would die “sooner rather than later” from cancer during a bombardment of unwanted messages after she ended their brief relationship.

Barry Johnston also sent the woman a picture from hospital saying he had tried to kill himself and messages professing his love, saying they would “be together forever”.

Less than a year later the 46-year-old, of Bute Crescent, Dunfermline, was caught at his home with a knuckleduster, heroin and cannabis resin.

At Dunfermline Sheriff Court, Sheriff Susan Duff imposed a year-long tagging order and a two-year contact ban.

Accused made woman feel ‘on edge’

Prosecutor Azrah Yousaf told the court Johnston and the woman had been together for five months after meeting at a gym and she viewed it as a “fairly casual” relationship.

Johnston thought it was “something more”.

The woman ended things in September 2022, indicating Johnston made her feel “on edge”.

Later, while at a wedding, she received a phone call from him but switched off her phone.

The next day he sent her an image of himself at hospital and stated he had tried to kill himself.

While at work, she noticed 38 missed calls from Johnston and asked him to stop messaging but he refused so she blocked his number.

He sent Facebook messages saying both he loved and hated her and accused her of messaging other men.

She blocked Johnston but he then emailed her saying he loved her and told her they would “be together forever”.

Cancer slur

The court heard Johnston was aware of woman’s father had stage four cancer and she asked him to stop contact.

The fiscal continued: “He said he hoped the complainer’s father would die sooner rather than later due to his cancer.”

Johnston turned up crying at her father’s address in early October and said how much he loved the woman.

The father asked him to leave.

Police were later contacted.

In court, he admitted a domestically-aggravated offence of stalking between September and October 2022 at an address in Glenrothes and elsewhere in Fife by sending numerous social media messages and emails.

Drug use after break-up

Johnston also pled guilty to possessing the knuckleduster and drugs at his Dunfermline home on August 4 last year.

Ms Yousaf said police with a search warrant found the weapon in his bedroom and about 12g of heroin with a potential street value of £300, and 95g of cannabis resin worth about £200.

Johnston told officers he was a drug user and replied “no comment” when asked where he got it.

Defence lawyer Alan Davie said Johnston had been living a healthy lifestyle after having previous issues with drugs and handled the relationship breakdown very badly.

Following the break-up, he spiralled into drug misuse.

The lawyer said Johnston was not intending to use the knuckleduster and had no reason for having it.

Mr Davie argued a drug treatment and testing order (DTTO) would aid his client but the court heard he had not fully engaged with the DTTO assessment process.

Sheriff Duff told Johnston: “I have no confidence whatsoever you would participate in a DTTO – they are designed for people desperate to make changes in their life.”

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