Youth’s obsessed stalker banned from Dunfermline for 20 years

A Dunfermline schoolboy became the obsession of another pupil, who then went on to stalk him for more than five years.

James McCallum (pictured above) would often loiter outside the boy’s house and continued to put his whole family through a frightening ordeal.

McCallum, now 20, was a pupil at Queen Anne High School when his obsessive behaviour began but the two had known each since primary school in Dunfermline.

Depute fiscal Claire Bremner said the victim made it clear to McCallum he wanted nothing to do with him but the stalking went on.

McCallum would constantly talk about the other boy, follow him and stare at him the sports changing rooms.

His behaviour became increasingly bizarre and on one occasion he climbed on to the roof of a garage to look into the boy’s home.

On other occasions the victim would look out of the window and see McCallum outside blowing kisses to him.

In another incident, McCallum traced the victim’s 11-year-old brother and spoke to him for before more than an hour. McCallum told the youngster, who he had never met before, about his past and how he had been sexually abused.

McCallum would escape from secure accommodation in Edinburgh, by turning off alarms and climbing out windows, then make his way to Dunfermline and loiter near the victim’s home.

On one occasion, the boy’s parents and sister returned home to see McCallum lurking in an alley nearby. The girl screamed and ran into the house but McCallum refused to move when asked to do so by her parents.

McCallum, currently detained at Polmont young offenders institution, appeared for sentencing at Dunfermline Sheriff Court.

He previously admitted he had engaged in a course of conduct on various dates between 1st January 2012 and 2nd March 2017 in Dunfermline, which caused the victim fear or alarm.

He repeatedly approached and spoke to him, declared his love for him, stared at him, followed him, attended in the vicinity of his home address and loitered outside, asked others to pass messages to him, travelled to Dunfermline in an effort to meet him and on 11th October last year he contacted the victim’s 11-year-old brother asking him to pass on messages and refused to desist despite repeated requests to do so.

He also admitted breaching a bail condition imposed at Dunfermline Sheriff Court on 17th October not to enter Dunfermline by travelling there on 2nd March.

Defence solicitor Alistair Burleigh said his client had a very difficult upbringing. “He was a deeply troubled boy with huge behavioural issues. He was traumatised after being abused as a child.

“There is no doubt he has an obsession with the complainer.”

Sheriff Charles MacNair jailed McCallum for eleven months. This was backdated to when he was taken into custody in March which means he will be released next month.

The sheriff also imposed a 20-year non-harassment order prohibiting McCallum from having any contact with the victim and also banning him from entering Dunfermline for that period.