A VALE man who called his ex a “dirty wee cow” and warned her to “keep looking over your shoulder” has been locked up.

John Gallacher, from Alexandria, was jailed for six months after admitting a charge of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner towards his former partner during a phone call on April 23.

The 46-year-old Croft Street resident appeared at Dumbarton Sheriff Court for sentencing on Friday after pleading guilty to the charge, and to an allegation that he struggled violently with police in an attempt to resist being arrested, at an earlier hearing.

The court heard the couple’s relationship had lasted a year but had ended in early 2018 – but that on April 23 Gallacher’s ex had received a Facebook message and ‘friend request’ from a ‘Paul Gallacher’.

Suspecting it to be from her ex, the woman decided to phone Gallacher, but also to record the call.

Fiscal depute Sarah Healing told the court: “The accused became abusive towards the complainer during the conversation, stating ‘keep looking over your shoulder, you dirty wee cow, cause guess who’s going to be there’.

“She asked ‘who?’, and he replied: ‘Me.’”

Police were contacted, and when they traced Gallacher and told them he was going to be arrested, he replied: “She phoned me.”

Gallacher then persistently struggled with police in a bid to break free as they tried to arrest him.

Jonathan Paul, defending Gallacher, told Sheriff Simon Pender: “He is realistic that you will have custody in mind, but while his behaviour was reprehensible, it was in the context of him receiving a call from the complainer.”

Sheriff Pender backdated Gallacher’s six-month term to April 24, when he was remanded in custody after his first appearance in court.