AN ABUSIVE lout who bombarded his ex-partner with more than THIRTY phone calls in a single afternoon is facing a jail sentence.

Charles McElroy appeared at Greenock Sheriff Court after failing to complete any hours of an unpaid work order sentence.

McElroy, 52 — who has three previous convictions for domestic aggravation offences — contacted the woman nearly three years after their split.

Prosecutor Kevin Doherty told the court: “The complainer was at home with a friend when she received a call from a mobile number she didn’t recognise.

“The caller was silent at first and then identified himself.

“There was a discussion about how he got her number and he then became verbally abusive and also made allegations regarding her behaviour with other men.

“She hung up on him and later described his language as ‘extremely abusive’ and ‘offensive’.” Mr Doherty added: “The accused then called again and began shouting and swearing.

“The complainer received a further 30 calls from him.

“She was very upset and used the loudspeaker function on her phone to allow her friend to hear what the accused was saying.

“He was traced later by the police and was well under the influence of drink.” The court heard how McElroy was given an 80-hour community payback order last September but has completed ‘zero’ of it.

Defence lawyer Gerry Keenan said that McElroy has mental health difficulties, adding: “His problems appear to be genuine.” Sheriff Derek Hamilton pointed out that he was ‘given the all clear’ by a psychiatrist and was not on any medication in April last year — a month before he made the abusive calls.

Sheriff Hamilton deferred the matter for a ‘detailed report’ on McElroy.

But he warned: “He may well be looking at a period in custody and he should be in no doubt about that.” McElroy, of Bawhirley Road, Greenock, is due back in court on 3 March.