Millionaire stalked exes after romancing them with £35k ring, £20k Mini and a HORSE – but avoids jail after one takes him back
Property tycoon David Bryson, 41, showered his girlfriends with lavish gifts but turned nasty when they dumped him
A MILLIONAIRE tycoon who launched a stalking campaign against two women he met online has been spared jail - after one of his victims took him back.
David Bryson, 41, struck up romances with Heather Munro and Ciara Nelson after contacting them through Facebook and the dating website Plenty Of Fish.
He showered them with expensive gifts including a horse and a Louis Vuitton handbag and purse for Heather, and a £6,500 Rolex watch and a £20,000 Mini Cooper for Ciara.
But police were called in when the relationships soured and Bryson embarked on a campaign of harassment against both women.
The property developer, of Strathaven, Lanarkshire, began seeing Heather in September 2015 after the breakdown of his marriage.
They dated for several months but Bryson became increasingly possessive and abusive after she tried to end the relationship.
He branded her a "cow" and a "waste of time" and threatened suicide, a court heard.
Bryson also told her "once you are in you can't get out" and that he "always got revenge".
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After Heather called in cops, Bryson then began seeing Ciara Nelson, 32, after meeting her on Plenty of Fish.
He gave her a £35,000 engagement ring, a Rolex watch, and a £20,000 Mini Cooper with £6,000 personalised number plates, and also took her on a two-week luxury holiday to Tenerife.
However, she later told him she wanted to end the relationship because he was constantly phoning her at work.
Bryson admitted stalking the women when he appeared at Hamilton Sheriff Court last October.
It then emerged he had breached his bail conditions by calling and sending messages to Ciara, of Lanark, when he was in Tenerife after his court appearance.
Depute fiscal Wendy McAdam told the court in December: “There was nothing threatening in them but she found herself to be fearful of the accused’s continued obsessive behaviour towards her and was in no doubt they were from the accused.
“They continued for some time and police were contacted.
“She was receiving other messages saying things like ‘why are the police looking for me and terrorising me’ and she replied telling him that bail conditions meant he couldn’t contact her.
“He told her ‘don’t you dare get me in any more trouble’ and the phone calls continued leading to her to change her number."
Cops waiting for him on his return to Glasgow airport found he had instead flown to Dublin and driven back to Scotland to evade arrest.
In a bizarre twist, it then emerged Bryson had rekindled his romance with his second victim.
Cops traced him to the plush Dakota Hotel in Glasgow where he had checked in under a false name.
Miss McAdam added: “He was in the company of the complainer Ciara Nelson and it was obvious from CCTV the pair were in a relationship.”
Gordon Jackson QC, defending, admitted: “The whole thing is strange."
He added of Ciara: “She now says she has no concerns about his behaviour and does not wish any kind of non-harassment order.
“He does need help and she wishes to support him in getting that and she is in court today to show that she supports him and wants to help."
Bryson's sentence was deferred until now to allow him to seek therapy for his obsessive behaviour.
Today he was admonished by a sheriff after she heard Bryson had been of good behaviour and is still in a relationship with Ciara.
His QC said: "He seems to have taken the warning you have given him.
"Over the piece he has spent eight weeks in custody over this. He formed a relationship with the second complainer and he is still in that relationship."
Sheriff Marie Smart said: "It's clear that what happened was out of character and you were troubled at that time in your personal and working life.
"I am satisfied this behaviour will not be repeated. You are admonished."
Speaking previously about her ordeal Miss Munro, 46, said: "He put me through hell. Before he was arrested in February he made me feel scared to leave my house for fear of him being there and following me everywhere.
"I had to receive counselling because of the emotional abuse he put me through. He should have been jailed.
"He's a danger to women and I believe he will do it again."
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