A man who stalked his ex partner and planted a bugging device in her home during his reign of fear was fined £500 yesterday.
Piotr Jakubiec was convicted of making uninvited and unexpected visits to addresses to the Oban and Taynuilt areas where Agnieszka Sarbiewska lived and worked.
The 42-year-old landscaper had gone as far as copying the key to her home and hiding a bugging device so he could listen in. He stalked her between December 10 2014 and January 7 2015.
Jukubiec initially denied a range of charges and went on trial at Oban Sheriff Court. But after five hours of evidence he changed his pleas.
He pleaded guilty to causing Miss Sarbiewska fear or alarm by attending her work place at Inverawe Smokery uninvited and unexpected, repeatedly following her at various locations around Oban, making a copy of a key to her flat at McKelvie Road, and using it to gain entry and fixing a recording device to her kitchen table.
He also pleaded guilty to breaking a bail condition by speaking to her at Oban Sheriff Court on August 20.
Sentence was deferred for three months to allow Jakubiec, of 12 Highland Apartments, Breadalbane Street, Oban, to be of good behaviour.
Following his trial Sheriff Ruth Anderson QC imposed a two year non-harassment order.
Reporting that he had been of good behaviour in the three months following his conviction, solicitor Laura McManus said: “All contact is arranged through lawyers. He has no contact whatsoever with her.”
Sheriff Anderson said: “That must be a great relief for her, because it was pretty bad.”
Addressing Jakubiec, the sheriff said: “I think I have probably said enough to you about the court’s view of your appalling behaviour. With the non-harassment order in place I am going to draw a line under this by the imposition of a monetary penalty.
“I must warn you that if there is any repetition the court won’t hesitate to send you to prison.”
At the time of his conviction, Sheriff Anderson had said: “This is worrying – this is quite extreme behaviour.
“This is a situation where they have not been living together as husband and wife for years yet hecontinues to behave like this.”