A MAN who wrote poison pen letters to his mum and her former partner has been jailed after he broke a ban on contacting them.

Joseph Carson, 60, had been ordered not to get in touch with his 81-year-old mum Jane and 79-year-old Ronald Moreland after sending them abusive letters.

However, he ignored the strict court order by writing to both of them again in January.

Carson denied he had been given the ban, which was in the form of a Non-Harassment Order (NHO), forcing the sheriff who imposed it to give evidence against him.

Sheriff Seith Ireland appeared in the witness box at Paisley Sheriff Court, where he presides, without his gown and wig, to explain his ruling and point out that he had warned any breach could land Carson behind bars for up to five years.

He said: “I explained, as I am obliged to do, that the order was not to approach or contact, directly or indirectly, his mother and Ronald Moreland.

“It is required, in my view, for a Non-Harassment Order and any sentence to be explained in simple language as to what’s happening.”

Defence lawyer David Nicholson, prosecutor Emma Jeffrey and court clerk Eleanor McCormick also gave evidence, as they had been present at the sentencing hearing in the first trial, and confirmed the NHO had been imposed and the terms of it read out in court.

Carson, however, insisted he had not been given any paperwork about the NHO.

Conducting his own defence, he insisted he wrote to Mr Moreland again and told the pensioner to stay away from his mum because the terms of the decision were never outlined to him.

Carson added that he had sent another letter to his mum because the conditions were never stated in court.

Sheriff Mark Thorley rejected Carson’s claims, however, and convicted him of breaching the order when he returned to the dock on Friday, sentencing him to six months in jail.

Carson was previously jailed for eight months last September for sending poison pen letters to his mum and Mr Moreland, who were in a relationship at the time.

He branded Mr Moreland, of Clarkston, as “a sleaze” and “a worthless piece of dog poo.”

Carson, of Machrihanish, Argyll, also sent letters to neighbours of both his mum and Mr Moreland, as well as the police, social workers and Erskine Parish Church, where his mum is a regular visitor.