Our reporters have been sitting in courtrooms across the north and north-east this week and covered a wide variety of cases.
Man’s drugs found in girlfriend’s home
An Elgin man’s stash of Class A drugs was discovered after his own girlfriend gave police permission to break down the door of her home.
Scott Adams was inside his partner’s house in Rothes when she arrived home to find the doors locked and police outside on an unrelated matter.
When they forced entry at 9.30am on December 1 2021 Adams was found with two bags of heroin, Elgin Sheriff Court was told.
Fiscal depute Shamiela Ghafar said Adams had been staying with his partner at the time.
‘A good example of bad driving’
A builder has avoided disqualification despite being caught driving at 100mph in sub-zero weather conditions.
Kurt Rogers, 20, was stopped by police after they clocked him driving his red Seat Leon Cupra at well in excess of the 70mph speed limit on the A96 Bucksburn to Blackburn road.
His solicitor told the court his client was a “young and inexperienced” driver at the time of the incident more than two years ago.
Oil worker found with 16 hours of child sex abuse videos
An oil and gas worker has been placed on the sex offender’s register after he was caught with thousands of child sex abuse images.
Andrew Smith’s house was raided by police who found more than 3,500 images and hours of video footage across his electronic devices.
When officers arrived at the 53-year-old’s Banchory home he told them: “I’ve downloaded stuff I shouldn’t have.”
Police discovered images of children as young as one and video footage totalling nearly 16 hours.
Inquiry into dogwalker’s death at hands of mentally ill man
A psychotic man who killed a dog walker in Moray woods did not receive any mental health treatment in the months before the attacks despite concerns being raised to doctors about his behaviour, an inquiry has heard.
David Johnstone was 36 when he killed 83-year-old Frank Kinnis and attacked two other pensioners during the incident in October 2019.
Four months earlier, he’d been visited by his GP after his father raised concerns about his mental health and Mr Johnstone had agreed to engage with psychiatric services.
On-off boyfriend staring at woman from bottom of bed
A woman woke to find her on-off boyfriend staring at her from the bottom of her bed before he started shouting, swearing and refusing to leave her home, a court has heard.
Josh Anderson started hurling demands that she packs his things and help him leave her home.
He got “right into her face”, Elgin Sheriff Court was told, and left the woman so terrified she had to call her mother for help.
Woman avoids prison sentence after sexual assault on disabled man
A woman has avoided a prison sentence after she sexually assaulted a disabled man she had been asked to take care of.
Gail Fraser grabbed the pensioner by his genitals at an assisted living complex flat in Aberdeen and then, minutes later, also groped his partner’s breast.
During a trial at Aberdeen Sheriff Court, the man described the incident as “like something out of a horror movie”.
Man to go on trial accused of causing death of friend in crash
A man has appeared in court accused of killing his teenage friend in a fatal car crash more than two years ago.
Jake Summers, 21, appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and denied causing the death of 19-year-old Dylan Irvine, from Peterhead, in October 2020.
He is facing a charge that on the A90 Fraserburgh to Peterhead road, between Crimond and St Fergus that he drove his red Ford Fiesta without due care and attention and at excessive speed.
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Paedophile: ‘Age is just a number’
A Fraserburgh man caught with child sex abuse material involving toddlers told a decoy 13-year-old girl that “age is just a number”.
Michael Marnoch, 30, was snared by paedophile hunters and when police arrived to search his home they found a selection of indecent images of children and videos featuring a girl aged between two and three.
It was also discovered that Marnoch had entered the search terms “incest”, “pre-teens” and “babies”.
Aberdeen dealer he has ‘no intention’ of giving up
A man who stated he has “no intention” of stopping dealing Class A drugs has been jailed after he was linked to cocaine sold to a 17-year-old boy.
Kyle Ironside’s DNA was found on the knot of two wraps of cocaine that were taken off the teenager at an address in Aberdeen.
Police had already raided Ironside’s home and found evidence that he was dealing both crack cocaine and heroin.
Controlling husband tormented wife for years
A controlling Aberdeen man installed CCTV cameras in his home so he could monitor his wife and even dictated what music she was allowed to listen to.
Domestic abuser Tom O’Neill also installed a tracking app on his victim’s mobile, demanded that her phone conversations be recorded and physically assaulted her.
The 30-year-old, who Inverness Sheriff Court was told may have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, subjected the woman to almost four years of abuse and torment at addresses in Aberdeen, Keith and Ellon.
Child sex attacker stalked women
A Wester Ross joiner who sexually assaulted a child and pestered other women for sex is facing a “substantial” prison sentence, a sheriff has warned him.
Joseph Stewart, 23, attacked a 14-year-old girl in her bed by touching her body through her clothing, undressing his lower half and trying to get the teenager to touch his penis.
When Stewart’s victim rebuffed his advances, “he left the room in a huff,” Procurator Fiscal Alison Young told Inverness Sheriff Court.
‘No further proceedings’ after runaway car injured firefighters
The Crown Office has confirmed “no further proceedings” will be taken against a man whose car rolled down a hill and crashed into firefighters at the Stonehaven rail crash site.
Rail worker Neil Bonar’s car was alleged to have injured four firefighters when he left the handbrake off his vehicle as emergency services responded to the ongoing emergency.
It is claimed the incident caused two firefighters to plunge into a river and be carried downstream at the scene of the fatal rail crash on August 12 2020.
Speeding dad killed son in 137mph crash
A speeding dad who drove at 137mph and killed his only child in a horrific car crash faces jail.
Craig Melville put his foot down after police officers signalled him to stop, before losing control of his vehicle and colliding with a stone wall in the Highlands.
His Audi RS4 car split into two sections and Melville’s fatally-injured 16-year-old son Craig junior, was thrown from the vehicle and found in a field about 40 metres from the road.
Man spat in woman’s face
A man has admitted spitting on a woman during an argument in Aberdeen – but claims he only did it because she kicked him in the private parts first.
Lewis Tritton, 31, appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and pled guilty to getting into an altercation with the woman as she was going to pick up her prescription at a pharmacy.
The woman claims that during the squabble, without warning, Tritton pulled down his mask and spat directly into her face.
Tesla driver’s autopilot smash
A Tesla driver who nearly died in a horror crash due to his incorrect autopilot settings has been fined more than £1,000 for careless driving.
Dale Martin spun off the A90 near Aberdeen, bouncing off the central reservation and ploughing through two fences before coming to rest in a field after his high-tech car hit a puddle.
The 47-year-old energy firm manager suffered catastrophic injuries in the smash and had to be put in an induced coma while medical experts battled to save his life.
Jail warning for domestic abuser
A domestic abuser who repeatedly assaulted his partner of 13 years in front of their children has been told he is “right on the cusp” of being sent to prison.
Dzintars Petrovs would regularly lock his partner inside or outside their Gamrie home and in June last year repeatedly assaulted her to the point where she was forced to flee with their children.
On one occasion the terrified woman locked herself inside a spare bedroom for 20 minutes as Petrovs, 39, repeatedly hammered on the door “shouting and screaming”, Banff Sheriff Court was told.
Wrong rude text sparks pole attack
A man attacked a friend with a metal pole after provocative text messages were sent to his girlfriend by accident.
Mark Ratley flew into a rage when he discovered his friend had been sending “heavily sexualised” messages to his then-girlfriend and challenged him to a fight.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard the horror attack left his victim in hospital with facial fractures and the communal hallway where it happened splattered in blood.
Nursery worker sacked after attacking police
An Aberdeen nursery worker was sacked by her employer after it came to light she had attacked three police officers on a drunken night out.
Kara Luty, 27, hit, kicked and bit the officers during a scuffle in Aberdeen city centre.
A tearful Luty appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and admitted attacking the trio – an incident which was described as “out of character”.
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Man sent explicit texts to friend’s girlfriend
A man attacked a friend with a metal pole after provocative text messages were sent to his girlfriend by accident.
Mark Ratley flew into a rage when he discovered his friend had been sending “heavily sexualised” messages to his then-girlfriend and challenged him to a fight.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard the horror attack left his victim in hospital with facial fractures and the communal hallway where it happened splattered in blood.
Toddler suffered 200 injuries in ferret attack
A woman has appeared in court after a three-year-old boy was mauled by a pet ferret after she passed out in a drug and alcohol-fuelled sleep.
Natasha Beattie, 33, had put the child to bed before consuming two bottles of blue WKD and more than double her prescribed dose of Quetiapine.
She fell into a deep sleep but awoke hours later to the screams of the toddler, who was covered in blood, bites and scratches, Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told.
Trainee chef slashed brother during cakes row
A trainee chef has avoided jail after attacking his older brother with a knife during an argument over cakes.
Tyler Grant slashed his sibling’s forehead open when the disagreement about “unhealthy eating habits” got out of hand.
Inverness Sheriff Court previously heard how Grant, 19, turned violent after his mum returned to her Alness home on November 4 2021 with a number of baked goods.
Man can’t remember why he crashed car and dressed in farmer’s clothes
A drugged-up man who carried out a series of crimes over the course of 12 hours can give no explanation for his bizarre actions, a court has been told.
Colin Sutcliffe was first found raking through a stranger’s wheelie bin stating he was “looking for his bird” then moments later crashed his car into a caravan park fence.
The next morning he was found roaming around at a nearby farm wearing stolen agricultural clothing and stating he had “no idea how he got there”.
‘Troubled’ man sprayed sanitiser in eyes of Aberdeen bar boss
A man who walked into a bar and ordered a glass of water before spraying hand sanitiser into the eyes of a pub boss has been given a chance to behave.
Angus Hughes turned aggressive with staff at Siberia Bar and Hotel when they tried to stop him from setting fire to an outdoor trellis.
The 26-year-old then pulled a plastic plant decoration from the trellis and burned it with a lighter in front of workers.
Attacker who taped disabled man to mobility scooter could get early release
A man sentenced to 18 months in jail last month after he cruelly taped a man to his own mobility scooter could be free in a matter of weeks.
Calvin Gallon’s jail term was backdated to July 2022, the date of the horrific incident in which John Tweed was bound up outside his home in Macduff.
At the time his earliest release date was May 2023 – but that could now be cut even shorter, with the suggestion he might be released on an electronic tag in March.
Man in court on imitation firearm charges after police standoff
A man has appeared in court facing imitation firearm charges following a standoff with armed police in Inverurie.
Specialist firearms officers swooped on the Crichie Circle area of Port Elphinstone on Wednesday following reports of what locals described as “a man with a gun”.
Police shut off surrounding streets for six hours before finally entering a property at 9pm, bringing the tense stand-off to an end.
Fishermen poached River Spey salmon
Two Glasgow fishermen who flouted lockdown rules to travel to Speyside for a day of poaching salmon have each been fined and had their fishing gear seized.
Joel Julienne and Barry McKinlay were caught by a water bailiff while fishing without a permit on the popular stretch of the River Spey near Craigellachie on April 11 2021.
It came at a time when Covid-19 restrictions meant people weren’t allowed to travel outwith their local authority area.
Dealer stored drugs in second flat
A man willingly handed police the keys to a flat containing nearly £25,000 in drugs after they informed him they were about to search it.
Tomasz Peczko, 30, appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and admitted storing cannabis and £5,000 in cash at the property on Elmbank Terrace in Aberdeen.
Following the drug raid, police then searched Peczko’s vehicle and found an offensive weapon and some additional cannabis.
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