Alba candidate spared jail for phone abuse

Holyrood hopeful threatened to set 'prison friends' on ex's new partner

- GORDON CURRIE

AN ALBA Party politician threatened to set his "prison friends" on his estranged wife's new man as he bombarded her with a series of abusive messages.

Scottish Parliament candidate Mark Shields plagued his ex with appalling lies about her partner during the campaign of abuse.

But Shields escaped punishment yesterday when Perth sheriff Jennifer Bain admonished him after a period of good behaviour.

Shields had previously been made the subject of a 12-month non-harassment order after he admitted sending threatening and abusive messages to her.

The 53-year-old wrote that he believed her new man was "probably a nonce" in a string of vile emails.