A MAN who threatened to smash the windows of an Aberlady restaurant during a row with his wife’s family has been jailed for more than a year.

Aftab Ali, a prisoner of HMP Edinburgh, threatened to vandalise the Grace of India eaterie on the village’s High Street during a family bust-up.

Ali had split from his wife and had been ordered not to contact her when he appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court in July following an earlier incident between the pair.

But the following day, 37-year-old Ali began contacting the woman’s family at their places of employment and made threats to them.

Fiscal depute Claire Crompton told the court that Ali called the woman “a f****** b****” during one phone call and then proceeded to call her relative Rajon Miah at the Aberlady restaurant and threatened to turn up at the premises and smash the windows.

Mr Miah was said to have been “extremely worried” at the threats and reported the incident to police.

Ali appeared in the dock at the city court last Thursday, where he pleaded guilty to engaging in a course of conduct which caused three people fear and alarm by phoning, shouting, swearing and making threats of violence towards them.

The offences took place at various locations in Edinburgh and also the Grace of India, High Street, Aberlady, between July 20 and 22 this year.

Sheriff Thomas Welsh QC said that Ali’s conduct must have been “very frightening for those involved” and acknowledged the offence was committed while Ali was on bail.

Sheriff Welsh sentenced Ali to 16 months in prison and issued him with a five-year non-harassment order to stay away from the three complainers following his release.