A husband has been fined more than £3,000 after fitting a tracking device to his wife’s car in a bid to find out if she was cheating.
“Controlling” Gavin Pirie, 43, took the measure on two separate occasions after suspecting his wife of 13 years was being unfaithful.
He also repeatedly contacted her by text and by phone and messaged her to ask where she was.
Fiscal depute Lynne MacVicar told Aberdeen Sheriff Court the pair were now separated after the woman noticed “a change in the accused’s behaviour in terms of him becoming more controlling”.
She said on one occasion Pirie had been away with the couple’s two daughters when he messaged his wife asking her whereabouts.
Ms MacVicar said: “The complainer indicated she was at work and the accused indicated she was lying and stated he had fitted a tracking device to her car and knew exactly where she was.”
A solicitor’s letter was later sent to Pirie indicating the woman’s intention to separate, and on June 7, she was at Aberdeen Sports Village with a male when she saw Pirie drive into the car park.
A short time later Pirie pulled up next to them when they were parked in her car off Merkland Road East.
Ms MacVicar said: “The complainer formed the view the accused may have fitted another tracking device onto her vehicle.”
When Pirie left, the pair inspected the car and found another device on the underside of the vehicle.
Keep up to date with the latest news with The Evening Express newsletter
Pirie, of Burnside Road, Dyce, previously pleaded guilty to a charge of engaging in abusive behaviour towards his partner.
Defence solicitor Ian Woodward-Nutt said: “He has never been in any form of bother with the criminal justice system before.
“Difficulties developed in the parties’ relationship.
“Mr Pirie feels that one of the difficulties was caused by the fact previously he was working offshore and was away from the family for a significant part of the year.
“Rightly or wrongly, over a period of time, my client became concerned that his wife had developed a relationship with a third party.
“His concerns in that regard were heightened firstly by unhelpful comments made by colleagues with whom he confided while working offshore.
“He was contacted by the wife of the third party male to advise Mr Pirie that she harboured similar concerns about her husband.
“Mr Pirie made what he accepts was an extremely foolish decision to obtain a tracker which was placed on his wife’s car.
“That was one of the pieces of so-called advice provided by one of his offshore colleagues. He spoke to a local investigator who was able to provide a tracker and he was assured by this individual there was nothing illegal in doing this.”
Sheriff Graeme Napier described Pirie’s actions as “controlling behaviour” and ordered him to pay a fine of £3,200.
After the hearing, Pirie sprinted from the court building and jumped into a car which had been waiting for him.
This article originally appeared on the Evening Express website. For more information, read about our new combined website.