A businessman who fired shots at a mum and children previously made threats of violence against author JK Rowling and her family.
Paul Ritchie is awaiting sentence after terrifying Emma Davis and four youngsters with what turned out to be a paintball gun, and also battering her dog.
He has served time for sending threatening emails to UK politicians including former House of Commons speaker John Bercow, ex-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, former home secretary Amber Rudd and SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford.
The Sunday Mail can reveal Ritchie, 36, of Dolphinton, Lanarkshire, dodged a jail stretch after targeting Rowling, Anglican Bishop of Ripon Helen Hartley and four others with threatening messages.
Ritchie, who runs a property services booking website, pleaded guilty to six charges under the Communications Act 2003. He appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court last year and was placed under supervision for two years and ordered to engage with mental health services.
Ritchie was also handed a six-month electronic tag.
But only a week later he was jailed for 12 months for sending what an English judge called “vile” emails to politicians in 2019.
Southwark Crown Court heard that the threats he made included shooting and decapitation.
Last month Emma said she feared Ritchie would kill someone when he began firing shots at her and the boys, one aged eight and three 15-year-olds.
At Airdrie Sheriff Court he admitted culpably and recklessly discharging a paintball gun, kicking Emma’s Staffordshire terrier and assaulting two police officers.
The incident happened on October 18, 2020 - five months after Ritchie had sent threatening emails to Rowling and the others.
Emma, 40, said she and her family were forced to move.
Her 14-year-old dog, Maya, suffered trauma and eventually had to be put down.
Emma said: “You wouldn’t expect anything like this to happen in a lovely, quiet village.”
Ritchie was due to be sentenced over the paintball incident this week.
But Sheriff Joseph Hughes agreed to adjourn the case until October for a psychiatric report.
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