A Dundee man who posted a picture of his ex-girlfriend in her underwear on Facebook has narrowly escaped going to jail.
Neil Barclay also put up offensive comments about the woman who he had been in a relationship with for more than two years after they split.
The 36-year-old, of Greenlee Drive, appeared for sentencing before Sheriff Pino Di Emidio at Forfar, having previously admitted behaving in an abusive or threatening manner at his home and a house in Monifieth’s Grange Drive on March 14 by posting a personal photograph of the woman and making comments about her on the site.
Depute fiscal Hazel Anderson said Barclay had been with the victim for around two-and-a-half years, but they parted in January.
“She said it was quite an unhappy relationship and blocked his number on her phone,” added the fiscal.
The woman then received a text from a friend saying Barclay had posted a picture of her in her underwear, along with two spiteful messages.
“She looked at Facebook and saw the material there and reported it to police. She was clearly distressed.”
Sheriff Di Emidio described the incident as a pretty nasty offence.
“The court takes this matter very seriously,” he said, imposing a community payback order, including 120 hours of unpaid work.
A review hearing was set for October 2 and the sheriff warned the accused over the consequences of any failure to comply fully with the order.
“It should be clear that this is treated as a very serious matter, and the alternative would almost certainly be custody in your case,” he said.