Hawick woman ‘tied dog lead around neck of sex offender’

When police officers arrived at the home of Michael Reid they found Toni Cowan removing the dog lead from around his neck describing it as “tight”.

Cowan, of Hillend Drive, pleaded guilty to assaulting Mr Reid by tying the dog lead around his neck and uttering threats of violence at his home in Ramsay Road, Hawick, during the early hours of April 15. 

Prosecutor Drew Long told the court it was an “unusual case” and that Cowan had contacted the police at around 1.30am to ask whether Mr Reid was a “nonce”.

She spoke to a number of people within the police service and call handlers could hear Mr Reid in the background shouting and Cowan becoming irate and “made threats towards him”. 

When police attended and gained entry to the house they found Cowan removing the orange dog lead from around his neck. 

She was taken into custody and released on an undertaking. 

The offence happened on the same day a local newspaper reported that Reid had been found guilty of attempting to communicate indecently with an underage teenage girl. 

Defence lawyer Ross Dow said his client had taken illicit drugs and was under the influence of alcohol at the time.

Sheriff Peter Paterson placed Cowan on supervision for one year as part of a community payback order and also imposed a 12-month non-harassment order preventing her from having any contact with Reid.