A HADDINGTON resident has appeared in court after he sent abusive messages to a former partner.

Fraser Smith, 34, caused his ex-girlfriend fear and alarm when he repeatedly contacted her through Facebook Messenger in August 2021.

Smith posted messages to the woman, including threats to harm her new partner and threatening to attend at her home in Macmerry.

He said that he would “punch him and cut him”, as well as threatening to “put holes in the ****” and promising to “run him over” in reference to the woman’s new boyfriend.

Smith, of Queens Avenue, also called the woman “a liar” and “a ****ing sick cow”.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court was told that the woman had blocked Smith on social media and contacted police, to whom she handed over screenshots of the threatening messages.

Smith appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court last Friday, where he pleaded guilty to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner between August 15 and 21, 2021.

Solicitor Liam Kildare, representing Smith, claimed that his client had retaliated after receiving messages that were “threatening in nature” from the woman’s new boyfriend.

Mr Kildare claimed that “both parties were sending insults to each other” and Smith had been called derogatory names, resulting in him sending messages back.

The lawyer added: “He knows he should have not acted that way and he regrets it.”

Sheriff Adrian Fraser was told that there had been no contact between all the parties involved since Smith’s arrest.

The sheriff said he would consider the imposition of a non-harassment order at the sentencing hearing.

Sentence was deferred to March 1 for the preparation of social work reports.