Glasgow man who stalked woman on Gumtree avoids jail
Michael Curling target six women between 2014 and 2017
Last updated 28th Jun 2023
A Glasgow man has avoided jail after pleading guilty to stalking woman through the online selling site, Gumtree.
Michael Curling, 48, targeted six women he met online between July 2014 and 2017, including threatening to kill one with a chainsaw.
Curling harassed the 46 year old woman who was selling an item from her flat, and declined going on a date with him.
Fiscal Lauren Donnelly told Glasgow Sheriff Court: "He told her that he would come round with a chainsaw and that she was dead."
The then Thornliebank resident also contacted a 33 year old woman who was looking for furniture.
He sent continuous messages asking if she wanted to meet for tea or coffee, as well as trying to get her to go for a drive with him.
He threatened to drag her out of the house and injure her, and threatened a third woman if she went to the police.
He has been added to the sex offenders register
Curling was eventually arrested in 2020, after which he pled guilty to five charges of stalking and one for behaving in a threatening or abusive manner.
Sheriff Gerard Bonnar considered that there was a significant sexual element to the offences and put him on the sex offenders register for five years.
He said: "These are serious matters and there is a serious course of conduct.
"I consider that the custodial threshold has been passed but I need to consider the alternatives available to me."
Curling was put under supervision for two years and tagged for seven months between 8pm and 6am.
Gumtree response
A spokesperson for Gumtree said:
“We do not tolerate the use of our platform by bad actors and are pleased to see justice has been brought in this case.
“We strongly encourage anyone who has suspicions or concerns about a user to report it to us immediately via our helpdesk, so our dedicated safety team can investigate and take action to keep our community safe. This could include blacklisting the offending user or, where necessary, working with law enforcement to secure convictions.
“The safety of our users remains our absolute priority, and you can find more information on our safety hub online.”