Raging squaddie warned ex-girlfriend 'If I catch you with anyone else ... it's war'

A raging squaddie threatened “there will be war” if he caught his ex-girlfriend with a new man.

Royal Engineer Jamie Drew, 28, lost the plot after being dumped by his ex and fired a string of alarming text messages to her phone.

Paisley Sheriff Court heard how Drew, known as Scrappy to his friends, left the complainer feeling frightened by sending three SMS messages that left her in a state of fear and alarm.

The court heard he warned her to “stop” what she was doing, and that he was “coming down and if you are going out with a new boyfriend there will be war.”

Drew, from Fulbar Road in Foxbar, appeared for sentencing after pleading guilty to a charge of engaging in a course of conduct that caused her to suffer fear and alarm by making threats between 8 June and 21 June, 2018.

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The court had called for background reports in preparation for sentencing for the accused, who has now found a new partner.

Defence agent Eamon McGeehan said: “The parties had been in a relationship, however, there was a very significant breakdown.

“He accepts he caused the complainer significant distress and he understands his actions were unacceptable and he realises that.

“Mr Drew doesn’t cope well with the break-up of relationships.

“He even has a previous conviction from 2015 for a similar type of offence, which also involved the Communications Act.

“The social work department isn’t minded to recommend supervision. However, Mr Drew, has referred himself to his GP for help in dealing with his problems.”

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The lawyer said Drew, who has three previous convictions for domestic offences, was attempting to put his difficulties behind him and is now in a new relationship.

Sheriff Lyndsey Kooner voiced concern over Drew’s conduct, telling him: “You have previous convictions of a domestic nature and it appears you don’t react well to challenging situations such as relationship breakdowns.”

She added he had better change his ways “otherwise you will end up in custody,” and recommended he be monitored by the social work department.

Drew was placed under supervision of the local authority for seven months and handed 166 hours of unpaid work, reduced from 180 because of his plea of guilty.

Seven years ago Drew was fined by a sheriff for running an unregistered tattoo parlour out of his bedroom in Foxbar.

The cowboy tattoo artist had taken money from girls as young as 12 in return for inking their bodies.

And he left many anguished youngsters worried they had caught diseases from at his seedy makeshift parlour.

All the young girls he tattooed had to attend Paisley’s Royal Alexandra Hospital to begin a year-long course of injections for hepatitis B.

Sheriff Colin McKay said that, in 25 years on the bench, it was the first time he had encountered a prosecution under the Tattooing of Minors Act of 1969.