A MAN has been fined for sending an offensive message to a woman and threatening to stab her and her mother in Kilbirnie.

Patrick McKenzie, of Glasgow, appeared from custody at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court last week for sentencing, having previously pled guilty to one charge. McKenzie, 52, also pled guilty to failing without reasonable excuse to appear at court on two separate occasions – once in December and once in May.

On July 20 last year at Camphill Drive or elsewhere, McKenzie sent a message via a public electronic communications network to a woman that was grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene, or menacing character in that he threatened to stab her and her mother.

McKenzie’s defence solicitor Mr Porter said: “Sentence was deferred for the preparation of a Criminal Justice Social Work Report.

“The report is favourable as far as Mr McKenzie is concerned. He accepts full blame for the matter. He accepts the behaviour was extremely inappropriate.”

But Sheriff Michael Hanlon was concerned about McKenzie’s failure to appear at two previous diets. He said: “One thing that does concern me slightly is that Mr McKenzie has not shown any indication that he plans to comply. We have two previous failures to appear.”

Mr Porter replied: “Well, he has been custody for two weeks and he’s not keen to go back.”

Sheriff Hanlon fined McKenzie £200 for the offensive message and imposed a Community Payback Order with a one-year supervision. For failing to appear at court, the sheriff deferred sentence until October 31. McKenzie was ordained to appear on that date.