A SERIAL stalker and domestic abuser who terrorised four women over the period of seven years has been jailed – for just one day.
Mark Boucher, who harassed one of his victims from his prison cell, was earlier this year given a community payback order for the crimes.
But Boucher breached the new order twice in the space of five months – as well as flouting a non-harassment order designed to keep him away from his victims.
He was brought back to court to face sentence over the original crimes – and the new offence of breaching the non-harassment order – and could have faced up to five years in jail.
But instead Sheriff Lorna Drummond QC said she was imposing a nine-month sentence covering all four stalking charges – a total of 273 days.
However, she said his time on remand accounted for 136 days – which then had to be doubled to 272 days to take account of automatic early release provisions.
As a result she jailed him for a single day on the stalking charges that could have led to years behind bars.
Boucher, 28, a prisoner at HMP Perth, will serve a further 60 day sentence for the non-harassment order breach charge.
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