Our reporters have been sitting in courtrooms across the north and north-east this week and covered a wide variety of cases.
Nurse tells of horrific attack
An Inverness mental health nurse has described the moment he thought he was going to die as a patient throttled him until he fell unconscious – then kicked him in the head.
The trial of 39-year-old Ian Fraser, of Croftfoot Road, Glasgow, was told that staff nurse John Deverell was grabbed from behind in a headlock and pulled backwards off his chair as his assailant’s grip tightened.
Fraser then kicked the nurse on the head as he lay unconscious on the floor before being restrained by other staff at New Craig’s Affric Ward in Inverness on April 15 2019.
Dad sends man to hospital after failed slap
A dad who dodged a slap from a stranger in Aberdeen then sent the man to the hospital when he punched him back, a court has heard.
Father-of-three Gary Glennie was out drinking with family when he stepped out for a cigarette on Union Street and was approached by a man who swung at him.
However, the man missed and Glennie then hit him with a flurry of punches that caused a large bloody gash on the man’s head.
The incident was caught on CCTV and the 57-year-old was traced and arrested by police.
Devious chef cooked up a crime
A chef at an Ellon hotel stole more than £2,700 of his co-workers’ tips to pay off his debts, a court has heard.
David Bruce, 25, appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and admitted swiping the money from envelopes and tip jars at the New Inn Hotel in Ellon over a three-month period.
He was finally caught when bosses spotted him taking the cash on the hotel’s CCTV.
The court heard that Bruce has managed to repay more than £1,000 of the cash to date.
Farmer’s fiery revenge
A boozy farmer caused a devastating £300,000 fire at a rival’s barn to get revenge for having been kicked out of Thainstone Mart.
Ryan Milne had been ejected from the mart, a popular farming and agricultural auction, for being loud and disorderly.
But the 23-year-old flew into a rage, shouting and swearing about the auctioneer who had ordered his removal, and warned: “Look on Facebook tomorrow. You will see a farm on fire.”
Guitar thrown through window
A security guard hurled a guitar through his living room window after his then-girlfriend locked him out during a drunken argument.
Jamie Edon and his partner had been enjoying a bar and nightclub crawl around Peterhead before things turned nasty on their return home to Mintlaw.
The 30-year-old security guard trashed their property in Thistle Gardens after being told to sleep on the sofa, Peterhead Sheriff Court heard.
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Neighbour snapped over loud techno
A man threw a brick through his neighbour’s window after “losing the plot” over loud techno music.
Sleep-deprived Steven Forman, 47, had become exasperated with his neighbour blaring techno music early in the morning so picked up a stone and launched it at the man’s window.
The projectile smashed through the glass and struck the music lover on the head, Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told.
Pensioner’s dog lead threat
A Peterhead pensioner threatened to strangle his partner with a dog lead after a two-day argument over their pet pooch boiled over into a physical attack.
John Haigh left his partner of more than 20 years scared and alarmed after he told her: “See this dog lead, I am going to strangle you”.
Peterhead Sheriff Court heard how the woman had kicked Haigh out of their home in Cordiner Court overnight on March 21 after they had argued all day over their pet dog.
‘Despicable’ grandson stole £26,000
A ‘despicable’ grandson has been jailed after he stole £26,000 of his 97-year-old grandmother’s life savings – while she was lying in hospital.
Justin Cumming, 43, smashed his way into his elderly relative’s home before emptying a safe containing the five-figure sum.
Cumming’s mother discovered the theft when she visited the house in Fraserburgh and found the property “ransacked” and the safe empty.
Man, 24, on murder charge
A man has appeared in court accused of murdering Aberdeen grandmother Sherry Bruce and attempting to murder her son.
Thai Hoang, known as Beaton, appeared in private at Aberdeen Sheriff Court where he made no plea to charges of murder and attempted murder.
The 24-year-old was committed for further examination and remanded in custody. He is due to appear again over the matter in the next eight days.
Sherry, 58, was found seriously injured at Glenbervie Road at about 5.30pm on Sunday evening.
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Stalker sent sex toy to schoolgirl
An Aberdeen stalker posted a parcel containing lingerie and a sex toy to a 16-year-old girl’s school in an attempt to woo her, a court has heard.
Michael Anderson, 57, appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and admitted sending the Ann Summers items to the schoolgirl along with a note saying “saw this and thought of you”.
The box, which also contained lubricant and cleansing wipes, was opened by staff at the Aberdeen school and police were called.
Reveller’s double assault at nightspot
A reveller spent a night in the cells after he headbutted his ex-boyfriend in an Aberdeen nightclub and repeatedly punched a woman in the head.
Ross Jack’s year-long relationship had come to an end just a matter of months before he bumped into his ex with his friend at Underground nightclub in Bridge Street, Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told.
What started as an argument in the smoking area ended in a violent assault in which Ross headbutted and punched his ex and repeatedly punched the woman in the head.
Hibs matchday announcer admits speeding at 103mph
A football matchday host who admitted speeding at 103mph on a Highland road has been banned from driving for 30 days.
Barrie Wilkins, a freelance radio presenter who works as match day host at Hibernian Football Club, was clocked going more than 40mph above the speed limit in his blue Mercedes on the A835 at Achnaclerach north of Garve.
Although he was initially charged with dangerous driving, Wilkins’ plea of guilty to a lesser speeding charge was accepted at a hearing at Inverness Sheriff Court.
‘Law of the jungle’
A prisoner at HMP Grampian threw boiling water over his cellmate in a “law of the jungle” bid to ward off a bottle attack.
Charles Sim, 39, had been remanded in custody at the Peterhead facility alongside another man who was involved in the same case.
But the cellmates clashed and Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard Sim had been assaulted by the man twice in the week before the incident and then learned a further assault was planned involving a bottle.
Danger dog’s biting spree
A dangerous dog is facing destruction after he attacked three people, despite his owner “lavishing it with love and adoration”.
Kieran White’s brown and white Staffordshire bull terrier Max went on a “biting spree” in Banff attacking three other dog owners and their pets on three different occasions.
Max left one woman needing medical treatment after he bit her arm and refused to let go.
Hotel owner lied to police
An Alford hotel owner has admitted lying to police about the whereabouts of a missing teenage girl.
Ivan Haggart, 55, bumped into the girl, then aged 17, at the Haughton Arms Hotel in Alford, which he owns, and struck up a conversation.
But when officers later approached him soon after to ask if he’d seen the girl he told them he hadn’t – despite her being on the premises at the time.
Sheriff warns teens they could have killed victim
A sheriff has warned two teens they could have killed their victim in a late-night attack following a row at an Aberdeen nightclub.
Reece Cameron and Liam Petrie, both 18, ran at and attacked the man on George Street after following him through the city centre.
There had earlier been an exchange between the parties in Exodus nightclub.
Motocross rider’s web of lies
A motocross rider who failed to stop for police and then lied that his bike had been stolen has admitted attempting to pervert the course of justice.
Darren O’Neill was riding near Contin Forestry car park when police were called, but rode off when signalled to stop.
When police found the bike, complete with decals with O’Neill’s name on them, they questioned him.
O’Neill initially told them it had been stolen, but later admitted he had been riding.
Bar worker’s cannabis business
An Aberdeen bar worker who was caught with a rucksack containing more than £3,000 of cannabis has avoided a prison sentence.
Scott Thomson, 27, appeared in the dock and admitted supplying a controlled drug after sniffer dogs found thousands of pounds of weed in supermarket plastic bags at his home.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard that cops raided Thomson’s house after receiving a tip-off that he was in possession of a large quantity of the drug.
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Sheriff puts brakes on motocross season
A young motocross rider who punched a man in a pub has been told he must put the brakes on his hobby for the summer after being handed a strict curfew.
Jack Allen will not be able to compete in competitions across Scotland after Sheriff Robert McDonald ruled he must “pay the price” for the attack.
The 20-year-old, currently sitting second in his class, had hoped a curfew could be avoided when he appeared in the dock at Banff Sheriff Court.
Takeaways boss accused
A man has appeared in court charged with employing nine illegal immigrants at three Aberdeen takeaways.
Wengang Liu entered pleas of not guilty to all nine charges when he appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.
The 40-year-old faces charges of employing three people at Golden Crown on Crown Street who were subject to immigration control and had not been granted leave to enter or remain in the UK.
Pic of private parts sent to rekindle romance
A Wick man who was dumped by his online flame sent her an explicit photo of his private parts in a bid to win her back.
Daniel Macrury, 34, admitted sending the indecent picture of himself to the woman when their online relationship fizzled out.
Wick Sheriff Court heard that the fledgling romance between Macrury and the woman began on an online dating site.
Woman repeatedly kicked officer in groin
A woman who repeatedly kicked a police officer in the groin after being thrown out of a nightclub has been given an opportunity to behave.
Monique Thompson, 35, became aggressive with police on the street after she was ejected from the Cotton Club and Bardot’s nightclub in Aberdeen due to excessive drunkenness.
As police attempted to arrest her she flailed her arms and kicked one officer in the chest before landing a kick to another officer’s groin.
Thompson’s behaviour was so violent that officers were forced to put her in leg restraints.
Motorcycle cops smelled cannabis
A drug-driver was caught out by motorcycle cops who smelled cannabis coming from his car as they rode behind it.
Thomas Morrison, 52, was driving on the A887 at Dundreggan when the smell from his car alerted the officers behind him to his antics.
The motorcycle cops him pulled over and carried out a road side drug test, which was positive for cannabis.
Further testing revealed the cannabis in his blood to be 9mg per litre – more than four times the legal limit of 2mg.
Morrison, of Angus Crescent, Fort William, pled guilty to a single drug-driving charge at Inverness Sheriff Court.
Solicitor Rory Gowans for Morrison told the court his client was “fully aware” and “appreciated” the implications of his actions on that day.
Sheriff Eric Brown fined Morrison £420 and banned him from the roads for 12 months.
Luggage lifter
An “opportunistic” thief stole a holidaymaker’s luggage from the street as he parked his car.
Mother-of-six Annamaria Ciurar appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and admitted taking two suitcases, containing brand new clothes, from a stranger.
Her lawyer said the 32-year-old took the bags as she planned to go on holiday with her family and thought they had been thrown out by their owner.
Racial slur at mobile phone shop
A man has admitted assaulting a phone shop worker and calling him a racial slur after a disagreement over service.
Jason Simpson lost his temper after the Inverness Mobile Phone Centre worker returned his phone to him saying they had been unable to fix the fault.
Believing the store had tampered with the device, he returned the same day and called the worker a racial slur before going behind the counter and punching him.
Simpson, 34, was unable to attend the hearing at Inverness Sheriff Court due to medical issues.
Woman attacked taxi driver who took wrong route
A woman dragged a taxi driver from his car and assaulted him following an argument over which route to take, a court has heard.
Pauline Small, 38, reigned blows down on the Stonehaven taxi driver and also attacked police officers who were called to deal with the incident.
Small, who claimed she’d only had four glasses of wine at a dinner with work colleagues, also clambered into the car, repeatedly sounded the horn, kicked the interior and tried to operate the switches.
Good Samaritan assaulted
A well-meaning passerby who took pity on a drunk woman and took her home to sober up had her kindness replayed with violence.
Carol MacCallum was too drunk to remember where she lived so the good Samaritan put her in a taxi and to her own home to sleep it off.
But when the 47-year-old came to hours later she shouted “what have you done to me?” before hitting her host three times over the head with a glass object.
Fiscal depute Shamielah Ghafar told Elgin Sheriff Court: “The woman was in Elgin High Street collecting food parcels that had been left there by Moray Foodbank when she came across the accused intoxicated up a lane.
Rottweiler attacked girl, 10
A Rottweiler who attacked a 10-year-old girl has been branded “not a safe dog” – but has been allowed to live.
Susan MacKinnon was in charge of the eight-year-old pet at her Keith home when it escaped from the garden and bit passersby on two separate occasions.
The first victim, a 10-year-old girl, was bitten on Gallowhill Terrace between April 13 and April 20 last year, Elgin Sheriff Court heard.
Confrontation at flats
A man armed with a metal wrench lunged at an off-duty GEOAmey employee who blocked him from getting into a block of flats to buy drugs.
Patrick Selfridge grabbed the wrench when the man tried to stop him entering Hutcheon Court in Aberdeen to score drugs.
The employee of GEOAmey, which provides security services at prisons and courts, pushed the 39-year-old out of the building and held the door closed.
‘Led down a dark path during lockdown’
A man who downloaded an indecent image of a child while at a holiday park had been “led down a dark path” during lockdown, a court has heard.
Barry Grant, 44, appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and admitted to downloading a single picture of a girl under 12 via the online chat app Kik.
Police raided Grant’s home after they had received intelligence that he had downloaded files containing child sexual abuse.
One picture of a girl aged between 10 and 12 years old was discovered on his phone.
Cleaner robbed vulnerable men
A cleaner has been jailed after barging into vulnerable people’s homes, assaulting them and then demanding money.
Joseph Bowman was “out of his face on drugs” when he, along with unidentified accomplices, turned up at his victims’ homes and used violence and intimidation to rob them.
The 33-year-old – who knew his victims having cleaned their homes in the past – bit one man on the head when he told him he didn’t have any money and struck the second with a pool cue.
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