He sent messages demanding to know who she was in contact with

Christopher King, 36, demanded to know who she was in contact with through social media.

Appearing for sentencing at Dunfermline Sheriff Court last Wednesday, he had earlier admitted that between June 14 and July 4, at a house in Cardenden Road, Cardenden, he behaved in a threatening or abusive manner which was likely to cause fear or alarm when he, by way of social media and telephone messages, acted in an aggressive manner towards his wife, shouted, swore, directed abusive remarks towards her and uttered threats of violence.

Depute fiscal Rebecca Clark said King had been in a relationship with the woman for 13 years and married for 10 years.

He contacted her shortly before midnight on June 14 through Facebook messenger and asked who she was talking to.

King became abusive and threatening, telling her he was “going to slap the s*** out of you one day”.

He contacted her again around half an hour later asking who she was talking to and became abusive again when she told him it was nothing to do with him.

He responded, telling her: “Now I feel like shooting you, selfish b****.

“When I find out who he is, he is f****** getting it too.”

On July 4, he also left a voicemail message on his wife’s phone, swearing and calling her names.

Solicitor Gwen Haggerty said the relationship between her client, of Forres Drive, Glenrothes, and his wife had broken up at the end of last year.

“She had been tagged with another male on Facebook and he confronted her and it became heated,” she said. “The relationship with his wife is not back on but they are speaking.

“He would like to reconcile but whether that happens is another matter.”

Sheriff Linda Smith placed King on a structured deferred sentence requiring him to return for a review on January 9.

She told him: “The social workers seem to think you might benefit from that and it might help you cope with the break up of your marriage and ongoing issues that might arise.”