A CLACKS stalker who carried out a "sustained and devious" campaign of harassment against his ex-partner was in the dock at Alloa Sheriff Court last week.

David McKee set up fake dating and social media profiles to dupe his former girlfriend into contacting him.

He also snuck into her garden, claimed she was being watched, and even claimed she had abused her child.

The horrific details were revealed when McKee appeared for sentencing at Alloa Sheriff Court last Thursday, July 25.

Fiscal depute Colette Fallon told the court that the 38-year-old and the complainer split up in November last year, following a two-year relationship.

Then, on January 14, she set up a profile on the dating website Plenty of Fish to find a new partner.

That day she contacted a man on the site called John Saunders – who was actually McKee posing as someone else.

Bizarrely, McKee also messaged the woman from his own Plenty of Fish account not long after.

However, she proceeded to block her ex from contacting her on the site.

Soon after, McKee delivered a letter to her home which contained his new telephone number and stated he loved her.

A few days later on January 17, the woman discovered her Plenty of Fish account had been deactivated, and subsequently learned it had been hacked.

However, McKee then messaged her on Instagram using another fake profile which also used the name John Saunders.

Unaware she was contacting her ex, the pair made plans to meet up.

But McKee, posing as Saunders, repeatedly found excuses to put off the date.

Ms Fallon said: "Thereafter she received a lengthy text from a person identifying themselves as John, stating [his] profile was false.

"It did make mention of having contact with her ex-partner, the accused.

"The complainer went on to receive a number of texts described as abusive.

"They also suggested her activities online and her movements were being monitored."

The complainer contacted the police out of fear for her own safety, but McKee continued to pester her.

He posted another handwritten letter at her address, then duped her into sending him an intimate photo on Snapchat by posing as one of her friends between February 6-7.

Shortly after that, the woman discovered a garden gnome in her back garden, which McKee later told her he had put there "as a gift".

In the following days he sent other gifts to her home and threatened her over the phone while posing as John Saunders.

Then on February 18, the woman received an email which appeared to come from Clackmannanshire Council.

It stated that a man called John Saunders had contacted them and alleged she had been abusing her child.

Ms Fallon said: "The complainer thereafter received another email from the same address, stating: 'Do you want to play a game of guess who? You ask anything and I'll tell you.'"

Terrified, the woman contacted the police once again, which led to McKee being arrested and his devices seized.

In court on Thursday, sheriff David Mackie said he was concerned the author of a background report into McKee's behaviour had not realised how extreme his offences were.

He said: "This is much more serious than the author of this report has any inkling of.

"My concern is I've heard of quite a sustained and devious course of conduct."

The sheriff went on to state that he could not impose a sentence until an updated report had been prepared.

He then further deferred sentencing McKee, from Tillicoultry, until August 22, and allowed him to remain on bail until then.