A stalker has been given a unique tagging order that lets him go anywhere in the world - except a 50-metre circle around his victim's home.

Construction worker Thomas Murray has been given the "reverse" tagging order after bombarding his -former lover with sinister texts. Instead of Murray having the tag-monitoring device at home, his victim, Susan Moody, has agreed to place it in her house.

The device will be set up to detect Murray if he enters the circle which runs on a 50-metre radius from her home in Churchill Road, Kinross.

The reverse order was set up by Sheriff Robert McCreadie after Perth Sheriff Court heard how jealous Murray plagued his former partner over the festive season.

Murray, 39, of Springfield Road, Kinross, admitted 14 charges of sending obscene, indecent or menacing text messages to Miss Moody.

He sent two on Christmas Eve, four on Christmas Day, two on Boxing Day, three the day after and a further three on January 2 this year.

In the messages, Mr Murray claimed he was watching her home and had seen the bedroom lights going off. He claimed he had put spiders through her letterbox.

Fiscal depute Vicki Bell told the court Murray had been in a relationship with Miss Moody for 15 years until July last year.

"The majority of the text messages were giving the impression the accused was watching the complainer," Miss Bell told the court.

"He was cautioned and arrested and accepted sending the messages.

"He was angry and upset and said he still loved her. The complainer is on medication as a result of stress from the separation and these offences."

Solicitor Alistair McLeod, defending, said: "He has to move on and appreciate it's over.

"His behaviour was totally unacceptable.

"It was the first Christmas he had spent on his own and he was not able to cope with that festive period particularly well."

Sheriff McCreadie said: "She requested that he be restricted from the street if that is technically possible.

"You have not to go within 50 metres of the complainer's house for a period of 12 months. If you are within a radius of 50 metres of the complainer's house the electronic monitoring equipment will detect that."

The distance was limited to 50 metres to allow Murray to visit his sister, who lives between 70 and 100 metres from Miss Moody.

Site foreman Murray, who spent more than 30 days on remand, was also ordered to stay indoors between 8.30pm and 6.30am for the next six months.