A RENTON woman who threatened her ex’s former partner with sexual violence and said she’d “smash [her] face in with a bat” has been handed an absolute discharge in court.

The decision means that no criminal conviction will be recorded against Nicole Coulthard, who threatened to post pornographic pictures of the woman on social media.

Coulthard, 26, previously admitted sending a series of voice messages to her victim on September 17, 2018, at a property in Stoneyflatt Avenue in Dumbarton.

Student Coulthard, of John Street in Renton, was told in February to stay out of any further trouble – and also to find, in a sheriff’s words, “some tangible way of expressing your remorse”.

That hearing in February was told that Coulthard’s messages had included threats of sexual violence, the word c***, and the phrase “I will smash your face in with a bat.”

Police were contacted and attended Coulthard’s home address where she was cautioned and responded: “It was only a screenshot.”

That February hearing was also told that Coulthard had never been in trouble before, had enrolled on an ‘access to medicine’ course at college, and had wanted to write to the victim to apologise, but was unable to do so because of bail conditions preventing her from contacting the woman.

At February's hearing Coulthard's solicitor said his client was “disgraced by her behaviour and is full of remorse”. 

On Friday, Coulthard’s lawyer told Sheriff William Gallacher that his client, a student, had a “minimal income”, but had nonetheless made a donation to Alzheimer Scotland to demonstrate her regret at her behaviour.

The court also heard that she had not been involved in any further trouble since.