A REALITY TV star has been jailed for contempt of court and berated by a sheriff for her attitude towards her son.

Former Apprentice contestant Sharon McAllister, 38, was sent to prison for three months after repeatedly failing to hand her son over for contact with his father.

McAllister was told 'you're jailed' and led off in handcuffs after being found guilty of contempt of court in a long-running civil court battle with her former partner.

Sheriff Fiona Tait told her: "It gives me no pleasure whatsoever to do this. This is about the best interests of the child.

"These were bad findings of contempt and, given your conduct since, I consider the only way to deal with the matter is by a custodial sentence.

"You have given excuses throughout - that is the way you have operated. I am very sorry this position has been reached but I consider you have shown - in the 15 months since the finding of contempt - that you will not obtemper the court order.

"The finding of contempt was made in October 2013. I made it clear I considered your actions had been flagrant contempts of court.

"My priority was to provide you with the opportunity to obey the court order. That was principally because it was in the child's best interest to have contact with his father.

"It has been noted in a number of reports you have an entrenched position against contact. My fears were unfortunately realised.

"I am satisfied that the situation is that you remain opposed and will do whatever possible to obstruct the order of the court."

Perth Sheriff Court was told that McAllister had repeatedly sabotaged agreed periods when her young son was due to be handed to the care of his father.

Despite numerous direct warnings from the court, she continued to fail to hand the child over.

Outside court, he said: "This has been going on for years. It has been a nightmare. I just hope other fathers don't have to go through what I've had to go through.

"Sharon has brought it all on herself. I have no sympathy. Fathers are entitled equally to see their children, because they love their children equally.

"I hope other mums who might think they can do this will take heed that the system isn't open to abuse like this, and that dads are entitled to their rights too."

The court heard that McAllister, who has pursued a string of failed businesses ideas, was now self-employed but was again running a business making no money.

She lives at home with her parents and her older son and is living on working tax credits, maintenance and child benefit amounting to £1,100 per month.

She has previously been ordered to hand back £20,000 to the Scottish Legal Aid Board after a sheriff ruled she had repeatedly wasted court time.

The mother-of-two pled poverty - telling Perth Sheriff Court she had less than £300 in the bank - and asked the court to limit the sum she had to pay.

But Sheriff Fiona Tait only cut the bill from £24,000 to £20,000 after being told McAllister paid a £1,400 a month mortgage on a second home which she lets her parents live in rent free.

She admitted her second home at Forest Mill, Clackmannashire, had been valued at £385,000.

McAllister was given legal aid to defend the civil action by her former partner and the case has called in court on more than 30 occasions over the past four years.

Sheriff Tait ruled that significant costs had been incurred by McAllister wasting court time. She said the ex-Apprentice star had been a drain on "public funds".

"Court days were allocated and lost. A morning was disrupted. I have had regard to her conduct and am satisfied that not only is that conduct rightly subject to criticism, but it has also resulted in unnecessary expense.

"The entire process was necessitated by her failure to allow contact."

Scottish Legal Aid Board solicitor Scott Cownie told the court McAllister had cost the taxpayer "tens of thousands of pounds".

McAllister featured in the second series of the BBC show, fronted by Lord Sugar, but was told "you're fired" midway through the process.