A paranoid Perthshire nightmare neighbour menaced care home staff and disabled residents because their CCTV cameras made him feel he was being “put under a microscope,” a court has heard.
Andrew McKiddie glared through windows and made threatening gestures at the Hillcrest Futures facility in Alyth.
The centre offers help, companionship and independent living support to adults with a range of conditions and disabilities, including Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Around the same time, McKiddie was on trial for a two-month campaign of offensive behaviour against long-suffering residents and employees.
The 49-year-old – who once refused to do community payback because he did not want to spend time with other criminals – returned at Perth Sheriff Court and admitted three counts of threatening or abusive behaviour between August 11 and 24 2022.
Middle finger gesture
Fiscal depute Elizabeth Hodgson, prosecuting, said there had been earlier “interactions” between McKiddie and people at the Airlie View facility.
“Witnesses were within an office on August 11, when the accused approached a window.
“The blinds were up and he glared through the window at the witnesses.
“It was noted he made an offensive gesture with a middle finger before walking away.”
She said those in the office felt intimidated.
“On August 21, witnesses were getting out of their cars outside the building,” Ms Hodgson said.
“They observed the accused exiting his car and again making the same gesture.”
Three days later, McKiddie was seen at a window of the property.
“He appeared to be staring at witnesses, making them feel intimidated,” the fiscal depute said.
“He appeared to mouth something at both of them.”
‘Under the microscope’
Solicitor Mike Tavendale, defending, said: “Mr McKiddie stayed in a property which was in fairly close proximity to the nursing home.
“He has been diagnosed with ADHD and it is fair to say he has a degree of paranoia.
“The nursing home has a number of CCTV cameras, including three which faced directly into his garden and into his home.
“That has proved to be a source of concern.”
Mr Tavendale said his client “reacted to what he perceived as being under the microscope all the time”.
The court heard McKiddie had since moved out of Alyth, where he has lived all his life, to the Crieff area.
“There have been no complaints whatsoever since he moved,” the solicitor said.
“It demonstrates that he was perhaps in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Sheriff Clair McLachlan said the offences were “very unpleasant, no question about it,” but were at a lower level.
She told McKiddie: “While there is mitigation here, the offences would have caused upset.”
She fined him £300.
Foul-mouthed tirades
McKiddie was convicted of tormenting neighbours at the Hillcrest homes following his August 2022 trial.
The court heard how he hurled stones at one woman’s window as he put her make-up on, and tipped a full wheelie bin out into her garden.
One resident told the court she had installed CCTV at her home because of previous incidents.
“I was sitting at my dressing table doing my face,” she said.
“He went by and started sticking his fingers up at me and was shouting at me.”
Staff from Hillcrest Futures also told the court they had been subjected to foul-mouthed tirades from McKiddie on a number of occasions.
He was found guilty of five charges of acting in a threatening or abusive way between April 29 and June 21 2021.
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