A GREENOCK man who had been charged with stalking his partner and lying about hiding a tracking device in her car for four weeks has had the case against him abandoned by prosecutors.

The allegation against Ryan Millar was suddenly dropped midway through a trial at the sheriff court which began in November last year.

The part-heard proceedings were due to resume last week, however, at the latest calling, procurator fiscal depute Ashley Pollock confirmed that Millar's not guilty plea had been accepted and the accused was told he was free to leave the court.

It was previously claimed that the 33-year-old concealed an Apple AirTag device in his girlfriend's vehicle without the woman's consent, allowing him to monitor her movements.

The charge against Millar alleged that he engaged in a course of conduct which caused his partner of 18 months fear or alarm.

Giving evidence on the first day of the trial, the woman told the court that she felt like she was being ‘watched’ and ‘tracked’ after hearing a ‘very, very faint’ noise in her car when driving.

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She said: “Every time I moved the car there was a beeping noise.

“I had been paranoid for a number of weeks.

"I even asked Ryan to come help me fit some cameras in my house the week before.

“I went to a garage to ask for help. He reassured me that if there was anything in the car, they would find it.”

However, the court heard that mechanics were unable to find anything in the car and after the woman sent a text message to Millar to inform him, he replied, 'It's me'.

The complainer told the court: “I just couldn’t believe it.

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“I couldn’t believe I had been saying to him for weeks that I thought I was getting watching and being tracked.

“He was very apologetic in the van. I can remember him grabbing my arm and saying he was so sorry.

“He had told me that it was in the boot of my car.

"My colleague pulled out my boot and my wheel and it was lodged in the side.”

The court was shown WhatsApp messages between Millar and the woman which had been exchanged following the discovery, with him stating in one text that the AirTag had been within the vehicle for four weeks.

Millar, of Glen Kinglas Road, told her he ‘knew that was in there’ and that he ‘should’ve said’ to her, the trial heard.

Asked how this made her feel, the woman said: “Sick. I just couldn’t believe it.

“I had thought for weeks that this was happening to me and it was just the realisation that it was the person who was meant to love me.

“I didn’t know what was going on."