by Craig Borland

A DUNTOCHER man who was sentenced in court last month for plaguing his ex with a string of text messages and voicemails has appeared back in the dock to face punishment for more of the same offences – committed the night before his first court date.

Martin Argyelan’s lawyer said his client’s behaviour, just hours before coming to court on December 15, was an act of “sheer madness”.

Argyelan had been handed a 12-month non-harassment order on his last appearance in court, when he was sentenced for a course of conduct committed on November 13 and 14 which put his former partner in a state of fear and alarm, including visiting his ex’s mother’s houseboat in Bowling Harbour, sending 25 texts to his ex, and shouting and screaming outside his ex’s workplace.

But despite knowing he was about to be sentenced for his behaviour, on the night before that hearing, and again in the morning before he headed for the court, Argyelan committed exactly the same offence.

Argyelan was brought to the dock at Dumbarton Sheriff Court for sentencing on the second offence on January 12 – when his behaviour was branded “self-indulgent” by an unimpressed sheriff.

Alasdair Shaw, prosecuting, told the court last week that Argyelan had sent his ex three texts and one voicemail in the space of a few minutes on the evening of December 14. In those, he said, 24-year-old Argyelan had told his ex “please don’t tell them I sent you this”, “I love you”, “I didn’t mean to waste three years of your life” and “I just wanted to contact you before tomorrow in case the worst happens”.

Mr Shaw told the court: “The messages left the complainer feeling unsettled. The accused then contacted her three times on her mobile; he was unsuccessful in getting through, but left one voicemail message just after 10 past seven that night.”

Mr Shaw said that the next morning – the day of Argyelan’s sentencing hearing for the November offences – his ex had received nine calls from a withheld number between 8.30am and 8.55am, and four voicemails from Argyelan had been left in the space of a few minutes.

Argyelan’s solicitor, Brian McGuire, said: “Given the dates he did this, it was sheer madness on his part.”

Mr McGuire also told the court Argyelan, of New Street in Duntocher, had been remanded in custody in connection with unrelated disorder offences allegedly committed in the Glasgow Sheriff Court area.

Sheriff Gallacher told Argyelan: “This is not acceptable behaviour at all. This was little more than self-indulgent behaviour. If you behave in this way again I will send you to prison.”

Sentence was deferred until April for Argyelan to be of good behaviour and to show he could comply with the non-harassment order.