A woman who threatened her mother’s carer with violence has been given a second chance by a sheriff.

Margaret Phillips left grossly offensive voicemails for the woman who was caring for her elderly mother between August 12 and 29 of last year.

Phillips, of Ardrossan’s Central Avenue, appeared at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court last week and pleaded guilty to one charge.

The court heard that Phillips had made a number of complaints against the carer.

Following investigations, North Ayrshire Council had concluded that these accusations were unfounded.

On August 12, the carer received a number of voice messages from Phillips, who seemed to be under the influence of alcohol. Phillips was shouting and swearing, calling the woman a “w****”, “s**t”, “b****”, and “skinny b******” and threatening to report her to her employers and threatening her with violence.

The carer informed her employers. She thought Phillips had a difficulty with alcohol, so did not wish to make an issue, however, she received another threatening and abusive message.

Phillips threatened to attend the carer’s home with a man and said that she had better get her son out of the house.

The woman again told her employers, who contacted the police. The court heard that police listened to Phillips’ messages and found them to be “extremely abusive, derogatory and with repeated swearing”.

Phillips, 56, represented herself at court. She denied having any previous issues with alcohol and claimed that the carer had been stealing pills from her mother.

Phillips said: “I had an ongoing involvement with the police, but it came up with not enough evidence.”

Sheriff Michael Hanlon said: “You have to let police and employers investigate. What you can’t do is take the law into your own hands. That is not acceptable.

“I’m going to continue the case. I’m going to defer it for six months for you to be of good behaviour.

"I’m going to take that this was down to the stress of the circumstances and this was a one-off incident.

"If there is any repeat of this behaviour I’m going to take a dim view of that.”