Our reporters have been sitting in courtrooms across the north and north-east this week and covered a wide variety of cases.
Shop boss’s £207,000 refunds scam
A painting and decorating centre boss who embezzled £207,000 through a fake refunds scam was jailed for more than two years on Monday.
Ryan Young, who was operations manager at Johnston’s Decorating Centre in the harbour area, appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court to be sentenced after admitting transferring the money straight from the tills onto his own bank cards over a six month period.
The sums of cash involved were so large that at one stage Young had to repay more than £30,000 so that the business wouldn’t miss its sales targets.
Sex offender groped 16-year-old girl
A registered sex offender has been jailed after he groped a 16-year-old girl during a north-east bus journey.
Ryan Burnett, 25, told the teen he “didn’t know where to get off” the Aberdeen to Peterhead bus and the girl kindly let him sit next to her.
But when the teenager because to feel queasy from motion sickness during the journey, Burnett took advantage of the situation by groping her legs and breasts.
Sheriff Ian Wallace described Burnett as a “danger to the public” and young women.
Snooping social worker gets NHS job
The family “terrorised” by a Dundee council social work employee have hit out after he was allowed to take a job in a similar field with NHS Grampian.
Liam Buchan was convicted at Dundee Sheriff Court of breaking data protection rules after he illegally accessed files about his former partner Courtney Esson and her family.
The 25-year-old, who now lives in Aboyne, Aberdeenshire, left his role with Dundee City Council following the offence, but it has emerged he has since taken a role with NHS Grampian as a social care worker, despite his conviction.
Buchan was fined £400 by a sheriff, who lamented the limited sentencing options available to him.
Tourist accused of causing A9 deaths
An American tourist is facing court over a crash which killed a toddler and his grandparents on the A9.
David McPherson, his wife Elza McPherson, of Inverness, and their grandson, aged just 2, were killed after their Ford Fiesta was involved in a collision on the A9 Inverness to Perth road, near the Slochd summit, north of Carrbridge on July 5.
Now, the case against Paul Gillcrist has called at Inverness Sheriff Court.
Reveller punched bouncer
A boozy reveller made peace with a bouncer following a row – but then lashed out and punched him mid-handshake.
Would-be pubgoer Andrew Gray had enjoyed “too much heat, sun and alcohol” before the bust-up outside the Scottish Embassy pub in Aberdeen, his solicitor claimed.
The 25-year-old had to be restrained by a bouncer after he was refused entry to the Trinity Street watering hole for already being “highly intoxicated” on Saturday night.
Crofter stalked woman after wine and chips invite
A 71-year-old crofter bombarded a woman with calls and messages after she declined his invitation to share wine and chips.
William Kennedy was ordered to pay £250 compensation to the woman and stay away from her for two years after admitting a single stalking charge at Tain Sheriff Court.
He had contacted her looking to buy hay from her farm, but he quickly became obsessed, with one of his messages reading: “I just can’t stop thinking about you, my darling.”
Drugged-up driver felt safe to drive
A drugged-up driver found looking “nervous” and with “blurry eyes” while over the limit claimed he’d not taken cocaine in four days.
When Scott Mutch was pulled over on Craigs Road in Ellon on May 27 last year, officers noted he appeared “nervous” and with “blurry eyes”.
The 37-year-old was in fact one and a half times over the drug-drive limit in relation to the breakdown compound of cocaine in his system at just before 10am.
Sheriff: ‘This is the third time I have seen him in a week’
A 27-year-old Fortrose man appeared before a sheriff for the third time in a week after assaulting a bouncer on Saturday night.
Zen Etchells, of Station Road, appeared from custody at Inverness Sheriff Court and admitted assaulting a member of door staff at Gunsmiths in Union Street, Inverness.
Crash-causing biker had face licence
A banned driver who caused a three-vehicle smash on his motorcycle was found by police to have a counterfeit driver’s licence.
Tomasz Gostrowski, 50, appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and admitted overtaking on a blind stretch of road and causing a crash involving his bike and cars from either lane on the B997 Bridge of Don to Dyce road.
When officers arrived they found Gostrowski badly injured but also discovered he was banned from driving.
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Baseball bat threat to ex
A jilted boyfriend threatened to go round to his ex-partner’s house with a baseball bat and said her face would “never look the same again”, a court has heard.
Krystian Wielgosz called and texted his ex-girlfriend more than 100 times in the space of just one afternoon, once he found out she had a new boyfriend.
The 29-year-old called her insulting names and threatened to come to her Aberdeen home with a baseball bat, unless she answered his calls.
Wedding guest hit partner
A violent wedding guest was taken away in handcuffs after drinking too much wine and hitting his partner at the reception, a court has heard.
Hasan Goz was stopped from fleeing the Ellon wedding venue by fellow guests, before police officers arrived to arrest him.
The fallout began with Goz drinking alcohol which he “wouldn’t normally touch” during the meal, and his wife speaking to someone he didn’t approve of, Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told.
Racist rant at takeaway worker
A Wick takeaway worker was racially abused while he was on a smoking break, a court has heard.
Bulgarian national Ivan Ivanov was standing outside the fast food outlet on Back Bridge Street in Wick, when he was confronted by 51-year-old Gordon Green.
Fiscal David Barclay said Green, who is disabled, shouted and swore at Mr Ivanov.
Butcher watched video while driving
An Inverurie butcher was caught watching a video on his mobile phone while driving near a busy roundabout, a court has been told.
Mantas Venckus, 22, admitted being distracted whilst in charge of a motor vehicle and pleaded guilty to one charge of dangerous driving on December 2 last year.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard that he was seen driving on the A96 as he streamed the video on his phone, which was rested on the speedometer.
Parent’s ‘frightening’ school outburst
A foul-mouthed Aberdeen dad shouted “frightening” abuse at primary school staff in a row over bullying, a court has heard.
Michael Fowler called nursery and school teachers “c****” and told one to get their “f****** hand out of his f******* face” during the rumpus outside Mile End School in Aberdeen.
The 34-year-old shouted and swore in front of shocked parents dropping off their children at the Mid Stocket Road school and nursery on January 18 this year.
Man drove at police officer
A dangerous driver has been jailed after “accelerating towards” a police officer who approached him at a red light, before driving away and hitting a car.
Scott Smith, or Findlay, veered into the adjacent lane and sped off, forcing the officer, who had been standing at the side of the car, to move out of the way to avoid being struck.
The 29-year-old went on to collide with another car in Aberdeen and then crash into railings at a crossing, narrowly missing a pedestrian.
Unaoil bribery conviction quashed
The Court of Appeal has overturned the conviction of Aberdeen oil boss Stephen Whiteley, the third such reversal for cases stemming from the Unaoil scandal.
A court had previously found Mr Whiteley guilty of paying bribes of $500,000 (more than £418,000) to Iraqi officials in order to win a $55 million (£46 million) contract for his Monaco-based employer Unaoil to supply oil infrastructure.
After being found guilty in 2020, he was ordered in November 2021 to repay criminal gains of almost £100,000.
Dad back in dock over fresh abuse
A drunk dad who previously threatened to firebomb an ex-partner’s house has been back in the dock for hurling abuse and threats at the same woman.
Dylan Stewart, 25, warned his ex “you best watch” then told her “you are dead…you fat prostitute” during an unprovoked incident around 3pm on September 20 last year.
Just months later, he went on to make threats to firebomb the same woman’s house over fears she was holding his kids “to ransom”.
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Stalker hounded ex to get dog back
A fish factory worker who told his ex-partner he “wouldn’t go away” until he got his dog and money back has been fined and told to keep away from her.
Ian Ronald left his former girlfriend so scared by turning up at her house and texting her that she locked herself in the backroom when she thought he was nearby, Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told.
The 58-year-old stalker texted the woman saying “watch this space” and threatened “I won’t go away ’til you pay £2,500 that you owe me”.
Woman struck neighbour’s window with kids’ swing ball set
A woman threw a pot plant at her neighbour’s window and repeatedly struck it with a kids’ swing ball set after she “took umbrage” to comments, a court has heard.
Sharon Geddes left her neighbours scared for their children’s safety when she shouted abuse over their garden gate.
Elgin Sheriff Court was told that relations between the Forres neighbours, both described as being at fault in the past, had become “less than cordial”.
Stranger grabbed woman by the hips
A farm worker who claimed he only wanted to speak to a woman when he grabbed her on the street, “went about it the wrong way” – a court has been told.
Peteris Kuklis, of Kinneff in Aberdeenshire, has been fined £640 for the drunken behaviour.
He was intoxicated when he grabbed a woman as she walked home late at night in Aberdeen.
Hair-grabbing family fight
A woman hooked her cousin by the mouth with her finger during a hair-grabbing “struggle” which left her relative so scared that she locked herself in a car, a court has been told.
Debbie Baillie, 21, pulled her family member by the hair, injured her lip and scratched her eyelid and face during the “struggle” on a housing estate in Rothes, Moray.
Baillie’s cousin was so alarmed at the attack that she sought refuge in her locked car, which the offender kicked as she hurled abuse at the vehicle’s occupant.
Carer cleared of causing crash
A carer accused of causing a crash that rolled her car into a ditch has celebrated outside a court, which cleared her of a dangerous driving charge.
Victoria Irvine emerged from Aberdeen Sheriff Court with her arms up in the air and her mouth wide open, after a jury returned a “not proven” verdict.
She’d been on trial following a collision between her red Seat Leon and a van, which caused her vehicle to spin off into a ditch at the side of the B9077 South Deeside Road, Durris.
Farmer harmed ‘stubborn’ cow
An “over-exhuberant” farmer misused an electric cattle prod on a “stubborn” cow, which suffered multiple lesions and bruising all over its body – a court was told.
Wesley Gracey used the device on both sides of the animal’s neck, its ribs. and hind quarters during a cruel incident, which lasted approximately four minutes.
The 62-year-old, of Tehillah Farm in Fyvie, Aberdeenshire, resorted to the unlawful action after the cow refused to leave his truck at a slaughterhouse.
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