A COWDENBEATH man who made vile threats to his ex-partner and unborn baby has escaped a prison sentence.

Shaun Cairns sent messages threatening to "pimp out" the child if it was a girl and also said he would "stamp on its wee head until it is dead."

Appearing for sentencing at Dunfermline Sheriff Court, Cairns, 24, of Bridge Street, admitted behaving in a threatening manner between January 1 and March 31 last year, he sent electronic messages to his then pregnant ex-partner where he repeatedly threatened her with violence, threatened to show her child a video of you inflicting violence upon her and threatened to induce the child to sell drugs for you.

He said he would ensure her child was violent, that he would use her child as an underage prostitute, utter abusive remarks, threaten to kill her child when it was born, threaten to rip her unborn baby from her body, state that his life goal was to kill the unborn child, uttered sexual demeaning remarks to her and threatened to have her beaten with weapons.

Cairns threatened to have her raped, stated that he didn't care if her child was born with cancer, stated that he didn't care if her child was stillborn, stated that he would have her mother held hostage and that he might rape her thereafter and threatened to make an effigy of her unborn child and burn it on a pole.

Depute Fiscal Laura McManus said the couple had been in a relationship but didn't live together. This ended in December 2018 and in January 2019, the woman discovered she was pregnant and Cairns was the father.

"The news at the time was not welcomed by the accused," she told the court. "The accused sent numerous messages in regards to her pregnancy and, at times, her unborn baby."

The messages included "I hope it is a boy because it will be selling drugs for me and be one aggressive c*** who ends up in jail" and "If it is a lassie I will be able to pimp her out at a young age".

He also said: "Maybe I will just put a pillow over its face when it is sleeping" and "I will rip it out with my bare hands" and a subsequent message added "then stamp on its wee head until it is dead."

Solicitor Mr Hunter said his client was fully aware of the "atrocious behaviour" he had carried out.

"He is fully aware of the mental and psychiatric repercussions the complainer suffered from his actions," he said.

"He is fully remorseful and wishes so much he could turn the clock back. He accepts full responsibility."

Sheriff James Macdonald said it was one of the worst kind of domestically aggravated offences he had seen for "quite some time."

He added: "This is an appalling offence. You should be thoroughly ashamed of yourself. My first reaction was whether or not I should be sending you to prison now.

"I have to consider whether there's any alternative that may be available to you and as a matter of law, I take the view there is."

He placed him on a community payback order for 18 months with a requirement that he attend drug and alcohol counselling as directed and do 210 hours of unpaid work within 12 months.

Sheriff Macdonald also granted a non harassment order banning Cairns from contacting or attempting to contact his former partner for two years.