Former owner of antiques restoration shop convicted of stalking and abuse

A man abused his former business partner and employee in a row over allegedly stolen assets.

John Cowie, 55, hounded the victim at an antiques restoration shop, Glasgow Guild, on September 18, 2022.

Glasgow Sheriff Court heard that the men, who were former romantic partners, started the business around 2013.

The pair continued to work together at the shop in Glasgow city centre after the relationship ended in 2015.

However, the victim said that Cowie began to miss work.

The witness stated that they were initially evicted from the premises before he took over the lease on his own in 2020.

He kept on four employees and adopted a similar but new company name.

The court heard that Cowie entered the store on September 15, 2021.

He approached a staff member, who has since died and called her a “lying piece of s***”.

Cowie stated in his evidence: “It’s not a nice thing to say, but we are not living in a Jane Austin novel.”

Cowie visited the store again three days later, which was shown to the court on CCTV, which he claimed was put in place by the victim to “provoke” him.

The footage showed the woman being called a “liar” and a “cow”.

Cowie is also heard shouting about “selling stolen assets”.

The victim was asked to describe his emotions about Cowie entering the shop, and he replied: “Fear, extreme stress, but I’m required to bottle it up and be the one who is calm.”

The witness said he has since been diagnosed with PTSD.

Throughout proceedings, Cowie was repeatedly warned by Sheriff Alan Mckay about potentially committing contempt of court for not answering questions in the manner asked.

The sheriff ordered that a court security officer be in the dock while he gave his evidence.

When convicting him of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner, the sheriff said he had to put the “difficulties to the back of my mind”.

Sheriff Mckay commended the victim’s evidence as being “honest and believable”.

He stated that Cowie’s was “unbelievable and inaccurate”.

Cowie was also convicted of stalking the other staff member.

Cowie, of the city’s Royston, was ordered to do 300 hours of unpaid work and put under supervision for one year.

He has also been made subject to a 10-year non-harassment order prohibiting him from contacting his former business partner.