A MAN accused of making an abusive phone call to his ex has been cleared after a judge decided the alleged insults didn’t match up.

Alexander Mullen, of Boon Drive, Drumchapel, went through a brief trial on October 1 at Dumbarton Sheriff Court charged with making the grossly offensive call to his ex in Kilbowie Road, Clydebank, on January 29 this year.

The 57-year-old denied the charges and the case collapsed after two Crown witnesses gave conflicting accounts of the call.

Mr Mullen’s 56-year-old former partner told the court she was at home on the evening in question when she got a call from a private number.

She said she recognised the voice as that of Mr Mullen, with whom she had split 10 years earlier.

The woman said he told her: “What the f*** do you think you’re f***ing doing?”

She said it was in relation to a post she had made to Facebook, but that Mr Mullen objected and called her a “cow”, “slut” and “mattress”.

She told the court Mr Mullen had said: “I’m going to come down there and f***ing kill you.”

The court heard that the woman’s current partner took the phone. The woman said she could hear Mr Mullen call him a “prick” before the call ended. She phoned the police.

Mr Mullen’s solicitor asked if his client was calling the woman to ask for the post to be removed from Facebook.

“It’s a complete lie that he made any comment to you,” the lawyer suggested.

She insisted: “Every word I have said is the truth.”

The woman’s partner, 55, then gave evidence and said Mr Mullen was “slagging her off” on the call, referring to her as an “alcoholic”, an “absolute liar” and “lies on her back”.

He said Mr Mullen called him a “d**k”.

Mr Mullen’s lawyer then argued there was no case to answer because of the lack of corroboration.

But fiscal depute David Gallagher argued the woman’s partner had spoken to the “overall abusive nature of the call”.

Sheriff William Gallacher said there was no mention of the alleged threats and the two witnesses did not match up.

Mr Gallagher said there was a “level of abuse”. But the sheriff said “abuse” was not in the charge, and that it was not enough corroboration to simply say a call had taken place.

The prosecutor replied: “In my submission that’s enough to say the call was offensive. I accept none of his evidence fits with the allegations.”

Sheriff Gallacher said there was not adequate evidence and found Mr Mullen not guilty.