Believing his wife was having an affair with his brother, Samuelle Knoesen bagged her belongings and put them in the street with a label saying, “free sh*t because wife is a cheating whore”.
The aggrieved husband also sent her a picture of her clothing floating in a river.
Selkirk Sheriff Court heard on Monday the couple had been together for 16 years, and married for six.
Knoesen had passed his wife and brother travelling in a car and suspected they had spent the night together.
He posted a message on social networking site Facebook about his suspicions.
“He continued to send messages to her, threatening to assault her if she returned home. He bagged her belongings and sent her a photo of them in black bin bags in the street,” explained prosecutor Tessa Bradley.
Knoesen had attached a label saying “free sh*t because wife is a cheating whore”.
“He sent a further picture of her clothing floating in a nearby river and continued to send messages to her, believing she had cheated on him with his brother,” added Ms Bradley.
His distressed wife contacted police who warned the accused not to send any more messages.
Knoesen was later detained and co-operated fully with police, telling them: “I’m really sorry. I never meant what I said. My emotions and anger just came out. I’m not a violent guy.”
The accused said he was distraught over the “situation” with his wife and brother.
Defence solicitor Mat Patrick said: “He says he had asked her repeatedly about what was going on, and she kept lying to him.
“He says that not only has he lost a wife, but has also lost his only brother. He thoroughly regrets what he did, and is trying to get over it and put it all behind him.”
Knoesen, 30, of Riverside Road, Selkirk, admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner at his home on January 19 and was fined £200.