Offender stalked staff at Falkirk area job centre and threatened to expose police officer's private life

The court heard Rintoul, from Bo’ness, had been a welfare claimant for a number of years and had been assigned a Universal Credit Journal – an online app that claimants are supposed to use to send messages about things like job applications, interviews and training.

However, Rintoul used the app to send messages that were “generally threatening to members of staff” at the Department of Work and Pension's Falkirk office.

Procurator fiscal depute Amy Sneddon said on one particular day the "abusive" messaging went on for hours, with one communication stating Rintoul intended to attend at the office.

He also Facebook-messaged the daughter of a female DWP staff member.

The message stated “Can you ask your Mum why she ignores me at the Falkirk office?" and went on to call her mum a “monster”, “scum” and a “Scumbag”, threatening to make certain information public on local Facebook groups.

Rintoul then turned his attention to a female police officer who had been called in to investigate and had "shared his criminal past" with the DWP.

In April 2021, the officer received a message on her personal Facebook app – despite the fact her Facebook account was fully locked down to anyone she was not friends with, as well as being under an alias.

The procurator fiscal depute said: “He messaged he was reporting the police constable to the investigations department for exaggerating charges. He referred to her,

also, as 'scum', said he had screenshots of her private profile and threatened to make them public.

"He said this was to let people know who she really was."

He went on to identify the police officer's mother-in-law and husband and revealed he had personal information about them.

The court heard Rintoul had been "angry" at the time of the offences, and felt he wasn't being listened to.

Sheriff Simon Collins aid the incidents involving DWP staff were "appalling episodes involving individuals who were just doing their work.

He added: "Mr Rintoul's response to that was completely unjustified and inexcusable."

He jailed Rintoul for eight months.