A CYCLIST who stalked a Borders hotel waitress less than half his age for a year has been told by a sheriff that he had "made a fool of himself".

Martin Kane, 51, developed an "unhealthy interest" in the 22-year-old woman and regularly visited her work, showered her with gifts, made inappropriate comments and trawled through her family's social media accounts to find out personal information.

During the course of the 12 months he would cycle the 30-miles journey from his home in Livingston, twice a week to the Allan Ramsay Hotel in Carlops, where she worked.

On one occasion he sat in the bar for nine hours and had only one drink during that period.

Selkirk Sheriff Court was told the waitress started feeling uncomfortable in December 2017 when told her Santa had a gift for her and handed over a bag containing 12 individually wrapped presents to represent the 12 days of Christmas.

Depute fiscal Fiona Hamilton said: "She opened it in front of her brother who also felt it was strange and uncomfortable.

"He would overhear her conversations with other people and mention things about herself which she had not told him.

"He went through her mother's Instagram to get details about the family. "He gave the waitress a present for her brother's birthday even though he did not know him at all and had only found out about the birthday through social media."

The fiscal said he would get jealous if she spoke to other customers, gave her drawings and gifts and kept making inappropriate comments which made her feel uneasy.

Ms Hamilton said the waitress told him to leave her alone but he kept visiting and in December 2018 she went to the police saying she thought he was a "weirdo" and that she was afraid of him.

She also said she had suffered a panic attack and was getting distressed and would hide when he came into the bar area.

Defence lawyer Ross Dow said Kane was a keen cyclist and would often visit the hotel and got speaking to the waitress.

He said: "She was just being a pleasant waitress through her job. He started visiting more regularly and formed an interest. It was an unhealthy interest but not obsessive.

"It should have been clear to him that she was not interested.

"The gifts that were handed out were in front of everyone.

"It was socially ineptitude rather than anything more sinister."

Kane - who works in a restaurant kitchen - told police that he regretted being caught going through her mother's Instagram account.

Police analysed his phone which contained various searches of her and her family.

Kane pleaded guilty to a charge of engaging in a course of conduct likely to cause the woman fear and alarm at the Allan Ramsay Hotel in Carlops between December 1, 2017, and December 16, 2018.

Sheriff Peter Paterson deferred sentence for one year for Kane to be of good behaviour and continued the bail order which means Kane cannot contact her or her family and that he cannot enter Carlops.

He told him that if he had been of good behaviour when the case recalls in September 2020 he would impose a fine and a Non-Harassment Order.

But the sheriff added that if Kane made any contact with her he would look at the matter differently.

Sheriff Paterson said: "I hope you realise now what you have done and the harsh truth of the matter is that you have made a fool of yourself. "This was wholly unwarranted and uninvited attention."