A CONVICTED domestic abuser has admitted to subjecting his former partner to months of distress including threatening to have the woman killed and telling her that she would be responsible if he took his own life.

David Greene harassed and tormented his ex by repeatedly making belittling remarks about her, continually sending unwanted text messages containing threats, and warning her that they could either be 'together in a relationship or enemies'.

The 42-year-old pleaded guilty to a charge of engaging in a course of behaviour which was abusive of his ex-partner between February and May last year, at locations including Cathcart Street, Lady Octavia Sports Centre, and a property in Inverclyde.

Crown prosecutor Pamela Brady told a court hearing that the pair were in a relationship for almost a decade before an amicable break-up, however, differences developed and Greene's abusive conduct began.

Mrs Brady said: "Between February 1 and May 9, 2023, the accused effectively, on numerous occasions, caused great distress to her.

"Throughout the period the accused continually sent text messages to her which were of a threatening nature.

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"He would make belittling remarks about her, calling her a murderer, maintaining he had poor mental health and she was to blame for this.

"In February 2023 he stated he was going to hang himself and said this would be her fault because she had refused to be in a relationship with him.

"This continued with him stating 'We can either be together in a relationship or enemies'."

Greene continued to regularly send messages to the woman, often at unreasonable times, despite the victim telling him she did not wish any further communication.

He demanded to know where she was, told her she was an unfit mother, and 'caused her quite significant distress', according to the fiscal depute.

Referring to an incident in March last year, Mrs Brady said Greene attended a child's party but did not want the complainer's relatives to attend.

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Members of her family did attend, including her sister and her mother, and an 'extremely upset' Greene was overheard calling his former partner a murderer and other slurs.

Mrs Brady said: "At one point, while she was holding a young child, he stormed by her, deliberately shoving her with his elbow.

"He was seen to be extremely irate and caused her to be distressed.

"The party ended and some individuals left but the accused continued shouting at her in front of family members, telling her he had been watching her and getting friends to watch her for him."

Greene accused the complainer of playing mind games with him, and she was said to have been 'frightened and alarmed' by his behaviour during one exchange last April.

The court heard that he told one of the victim's family members that his cousin was 'going to put a bullet in [the complainer's] head'.

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He continued to 'persistently' send messages to the woman and the fiscal depute described a further incident in Cathcart Street in May 2023, when the complainer was out for lunch with family members at a café and Greene confronted her in the street, shouting aggressively at her before a relative was forced to intervene.

The woman attended Greenock police office on May 9 to report his course of conduct and provided screenshots of text messages.

Greene was arrested later that day and referred to her as a 'two-faced cow' during his police interview.

Defence solicitor Aidan Gallagher said his client, of Arden Road, has a 'very limited offending history' and has 'changed for the better in his general lifestyle and mental health' since the offences.

Sheriff Clair McLachlan deferred sentence until March 5 for background reports to be prepared.