A TILLICOULTRY man who threatened to shoot his former partner said he may have did it because he was playing a video game at the time.

Ruaridh Levey pleaded guilty to an amended charge at a trial diet after previously denying the allegation.

Susannah Hutchison, prosecuting, told Alloa Sheriff Court last Thursday that on March 20 at Craighorn Road, Alva, the accused, who was friends with the complainer, had been asked to leave the complainer’s property for being intoxicated, which he did.

The fiscal depute said: “After leaving, Levey began texting the complainer saying: ‘I will shoot you’. She did not reply, but was afraid because of the messages.”

Ms Hutchison went on to say that the messages from Levey came around the same time that the woman received a phone call from another female who began arguing with the complainer.

The incident was later reported to the police by the accuser and Levey was taken to Falkirk police station.

He told officers there that he had broken up with the complainer and had ended up in the other lady’s property after that.

Ms Hutchison continued: “[To officers] He said the messages were ‘maybe sent by me’.”

Referring to the threat to shoot the complainer, Ms Hutchison added: “He told officers: ‘I was playing Star Wars so it could have been because of that’. He was very drunk.”

Kristina Kelly, representing the 36-year-old, said that her client currently has seven months left to go on a current community payback order (CPO) which was imposed for a previous offence.

Ms Kelly added that it was an “empty threat” and that her client had no access to any firearms, although there are issues with alcohol.

She added: “[He is] engaging well with his CPO which has had some effect on his level of offending.”

The court was told that Levey cannot carry out unpaid work due to problems with his mental health.

Sheriff David Mackie opted not to impose a further punishment on Levey, of Frederick Street, Tillicoultry.

Sentence was deferred until November 29 for the accused to make progress with his current order.