Scots businessman shares aid after “nutcase” who threatened to chop throat of new child son pleads responsible

A SCOTS businessman has shared his aid after a “nutcase” who threatened to chop his new child son’s throat has pled responsible to the costs in opposition to him.

Craig Campbell was subjected to vile threats and harassment from John McWhinnie over the course of a number of years, after the latter claimed Campbell was ruining his enterprise by order of “the Russian mafia“.

The 43-year-old initially met McWhinnie, 37, in a one-to-one net design class however their relationship shortly soured after Campbell pulled a innocent prank that McWhinnie took to coronary heart.

John McWhinnie.

Campbell, from Glasgow, was quickly pestered with violent emails and messages from McWhinnie, who initially apologised however quickly restarted, culminating in his eventual arrest in March this yr.

Campbell, who’s a search engine optimisation (web optimization) specialist, initially held a private class with McWhinnie, from Port Glasgow, Inverclyde, in July 2018 to advise him on net design and web optimization.

Campbell then met McWhinnie once more at one among his talks in September 2018, placing up an off-the-cuff friendship after realising the pair obtained on very properly.

Nevertheless, after Campbell and a pal determined to prank McWhinnie with a spoof textual content message from Amazon, the friendship went south, with McWhinnie eradicating Campbell and others from social media.

It was after this that McWhinnie’s threats started, when in March 2019 he emailed the web optimization businessman with a menace that his “throat was getting lower in addition to the throat of [his] new child son“.

Shaken, Campbell instantly reported the message to the police and distanced himself from McWhinnie for months till, in November 2021, McWhinnie requested for a name to “clear the air”.

The 2 males spoke over a Zoom name, during which McWhinnie defined that he has psychosis, earlier than apologising to Campbell for telling those who he was a “Russian mafia chief”.

Nevertheless, it was then in January 2023 that Campbell acquired a 17-minute telephone name from McWhinnie, who reiterated that he would lower his throat for “harassing his enterprise for 4 years”.

McWhinnie then went on to allege that Campbell was “excessive up within the Russian mafia meals chain”, earlier than claiming that he was “in a life-or-death state of affairs” and meant to kill Campbell earlier than killing himself.

McWhinnie then adopted up these horrific threats with an extra weird message the subsequent month.

Campbell claims the rambling message learn: “You higher ship a hitman as an alternative of wee cryptic messages ya [sic] f***ing animal.

“Try to manipulate Peter all you need, that might be a part of the chapter.

“If I don’t lower your throat actually (primarily based on you driving me to suicide and me doing you first). I’ll be sure to bleed like a hog in entrance of that viewers that you just adore a lot.

“You began this, you additionally stored it going, properly wee s****y Johnny is gonna [sic] end it.

“Off to mattress earlier than you dismissed me as a drunk, had just a few cans however free for a chat all day tomorrow.

“You suppose the mentality I’ve constructed will get rocked that a lot [by] hangovers, the harassment I’ve endured has created a convict sort.”

Following these messages, McWhinnie was then arrested by police in March this yr, after they tracked him down in Edinburgh.

He was subsequently charged and set free on bail underneath the circumstances that he should not strategy or contact Campbell.

Nevertheless, Campbell claims that on account of this situation, McWhinnie was given each his workplace and residential addresses in order that he would know the place he’s not allowed to go while on bail.

It was then on 27 June that McWhinnie allegedly repeatedly tried to name Campbell’s workplace, finally getting by to his spouse and asking: “The place’s Craig?”

After being instructed that Campbell wasn’t there, McWhinnie allegedly then instructed Campbell’s spouse that he was going to return and discover him and her, and requested if there have been “any final messages” she would need to say to her husband.

Campbell then reported this to the police, who added the incident to his report which was then introduced to the procurator fiscal.

McWhinnie appeared in courtroom on 6 July the place he pleaded responsible to 2 expenses of sending – by the use of a public digital communications community – a message or different matter that’s grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character.

Previous to the courtroom look, McWhinnie had wrote in a put up to social media: “Craig Campbell has helped me smash my life.

“He hacked my telephone and is taking me to courtroom in July! Weaponising the justice system, all a part of his sick recreation.

“Go to remedy Craig, actually, I’ve obtained to point out up in courtroom because the accused vs this weak, loudmouth bully who ‘desires one of the best for Glasgow web optimization’.

“Ever since I arrived, he mocked me and used his energy to ensure his standing wouldn’t be challenged.

“The slightest menace despatched to his fragile ego (and that’s coming from me!), his spider senses have been tingling.”

Talking as we speak Craig Campbell stated: “It began in July 2018, the man got here to me for a one-day, one-to-one coaching session for digital advertising and marketing as he wished to start out his personal enterprise constructing and promoting web sites to firms.

Craig Campbell.
Craig Campbell.

“He loved it and obtained rather a lot from it and we really obtained on very well. He had simply left his job on the Yellow Pages the place he bought web sites to purchasers.

“A number of months later, I did a chat in Glasgow about web optimization.

“As a joke me and a pal ship him a textual content message by one thing known as a textual content message spoof software program (SMS Spoof) – that is now unlawful however wasn’t on the time.

“All you want is the individual’s cellular quantity and you’ll faux to textual content them posing as any individual or firm on the earth.

“We textual content him a message pretending to be from Amazon that stated one thing like: ‘We’ve delivered your dildo to your again door however the field has obtained moist so the product is ready for you with simply the packaging.’

“This actually freaked him out and we apologised for this and he eliminated me and several other associates from his Fb.

“After he appeared at a number of talks that I used to be giving I hadn’t heard from him since.

“Then in November 2021 he textual content me saying that he wished to clear the air and stated that he wished to present me a fast name.

“In that decision he instructed me that he had felt actually responsible and that he wanted to apologise to me as he had been telling those who I used to be a psychopath and a narcissist.

“He stated: ‘I endure from psychosis and I hadn’t been taking my tablets, I assumed you have been a part of the Russian mafia’.

“The man had been focused by somebody as his web site had been hacked in addition to a few of his particulars, I believe the incident with the textual content joke made him suppose that I used to be behind it.

“He’s been terrorised for 4 years and he thought I used to be behind it.

“I didn’t actually suppose something of it, I simply thought that man was a f***ing nutcase if I’m sincere.”

Campbell then revealed that he was instructed McWhinnie moved to Tenerife with a girl he met on-line, who he then allegedly believed was a “Russian spy” despatched by Campbell.

He stated: “A mutual pal instructed me that he moved to Tenerife and connected with a woman on Tinder, and after a few months moved in along with her.

“Apparently he locked her out of the home one night time as a result of he thought she was a Russian spy despatched by me.

“Nevertheless, I then get one other name from him in January.

“He calmly stated: ‘Hello Craig how are you doing? I don’t need to escalate issues additional however I’m going to chop your throat, that is life or loss of life for me, you recognize what you’ve achieved.’”

Campbell additionally claims that McWhinnie even stated he would commit suicide.

McWhinnie allegedly added: “Craig I don’t know in the event you’re a part of this community however I do know you’re excessive up the meals chain and also you’ve despatched individuals to my home to kick [my] head in.”

Campbell defined: “He threatened to chop my sons’ throat when he was born, he additionally despatched a message saying ‘Should you come to Glasgow (Greenock) I’ll lower you and your son’s throats’.

“On the time my son was about 6-8 weeks previous.

“I rang the police and so they took an announcement, after that he was arrested and was set free on bail underneath the circumstances that he had nothing to do with me.

“The police then handed him two addresses, one was my workplace tackle which he already knew, however the different was my house tackle which he didn’t learn about and was instructed to steer clear of these two locations.

“Police Scotland handed somebody threatening me, my house tackle which he by no means, ever had which was actually weird.”

Campbell continued: “After the preliminary threats have been made in January 2023, the police handed this round and actually nothing for the primary 4 weeks, till his second menace got here by way of textual content.

“Their response to me was ‘till really does one thing we will’t do something’.

“I needed to go by way of an area councillor to get the police to take this severely, which is when the case was taken over by an officer in Helen Avenue, Glasgow who has been tremendous ever since.

“However the system was very gradual to reply, and in addition the handing out of my house tackle to some stalker/psycho is an issue.

“I additionally did increase this with my native councillor who stated this was customary practise and he had the native police chief name me to elucidate how that works.

“He one way or the other obtained maintain of my house telephone quantity and talked to my spouse the place he threatened me by way of her which breached his bail circumstances – my household are scared; I used to be overseas in Spain on the time giving a chat.

“I’m all the time trying over my shoulder, the workplace is all the time shut, I even instructed employees to not are available in for 2 weeks in case he exhibits up.

“Even coming into my home you’re on edge that he’ll leap out at you, he’s greater than succesful, it’s in his locker to do one thing.

“The police have pressing response markers on my workplace and home, it’s horrible and a terrifying expertise.

“The loopy factor is, I used to present this man prospects, I’ve even been instructed by mutual purchasers that he stated that I used to be an excellent man, but 5 minutes later I get a textual content from him saying that he’s going to chop my throat.

“I imagine he’s claiming all this as a result of he’s off the treatment, I do know he moved from Greenock to Edinburgh and none of his household have something to do with him.

“He pleaded responsible final month – I hope the man will get the assistance he wants, but additionally get put behind bars as a result of its not acceptable to threaten somebody’s household.”

Campbell concluded: “The fellows an oddball, he’s clearly off his f***ing rocker, he claimed that I had weaponised the justice system as I’m a hacker within the Russian mafia.

“I’d be relieved however I’ve the worry that he’ll simply get group service and a effective and that my household will all endure from this yet again.

“I’ve solely ever met this man on a handful of instances, I’ve solely ever given him one of the best recommendation to my information.

“So why he would suppose that I used to be out to get him I’ll by no means perceive, the one factor I can suppose it may be is jealousy.”

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