Our reporters have been sitting in courtrooms across the north and north-east this week and covered a wide variety of cases.
Drink-driving serviceman had to be restrained after trying to flee scene
A drink-driving serviceman was restrained by bystanders after he tried to flee the scene before police could arrive.
Repeat offender David McKenzie was caught drunk behind the wheel near the Army base at Kinloss and concerned members of the public grabbed his keys from the ignition.
McKenzie, 37, a member of the 39 Engineers Regiment, was stopped as he tried to leave the base at around 2.10pm on November 29 last year.
Foul-mouthed man faked seizure in front of mourners
A foul-mouthed Aberdeen man who alarmed funeral mourners when he faked a seizure outside a church to avoid arrest has been jailed.
Adrian Pearson, 59, appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and admitted 17 separate charges, including violent assault, vile derogatory abuse and making threats to kill.
Pearson also headbutted a complete stranger on a bus and kicked a police officer so hard it left a boot print on his head.
Drunk man wandered into wrong house at 3am
An intoxicated man who wandered into the wrong home at 3am and threatened to kill his neighbour is hopeful of rebuilding their friendship, a court was told.
Alexander Nujant was discovered standing at the fridge in the middle of the night after he wandered into the wrong country cottage near Forres.
The 43-year-old then warned the homeowner, who was his neighbour of many years, “you’re dead” as he was taken away by police officers, Elgin Sheriff Court was told.
Racist jailed for unprovoked assault on refugees
A racist woman who carried out a violent and unprovoked street attack on a group of refugees from Afghanistan has been jailed.
Sarah Craig attacked two female strangers who had fled Afghanistan in search of safer, better lives in the UK.
The 38-year-old kicked and punched both women on the body and head in the attack, which took place outside a city centre hotel.
Tyneside rapist relocated to Royal Deeside without police knowing
A Tyneside rapist was living in Aberdeenshire without the knowledge of police for more than a year and was only discovered when he brandished a knife at his girlfriend.
Rapist Allan Thompson, also known as Bates, was made subject to the sex offender’s register “indefinitely” following his 2007 sex crime conviction and served a seven-year sentence behind bars.
But the 32-year-old swapped Tyneside for Royal Deeside in December 2021 without informing Northumbria Police – or even telling his new partner about his dark history.
Racist warehouseman branded food truck owner ‘monkey’
A racist warehouseman has been fined after calling a food truck owner a “monkey” for refusing to serve him.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard the matter had initially been a “misunderstanding”, but that didn’t stop James Walker, 22, from unleashing the foul-mouthed rant.
Fiscal depute Rebecca Thompson the incident happened on the Altens Industrial Estate at around 9am on March 26 2022.
She said another man went to the food truck to place an order on Walker’s behalf.
Man prescribed medical cannabis charged with possession
A man who was prescribed cannabis for medical reasons found himself up in court after he turned to illicit suppliers to source the drug.
Rene Barot, 35, had 47g of the drug in jars in his home when police executed a search warrant there.
His solicitor explained that he had struggled to pay what the drug cost through official channels and had turned to illicit sources to treat his symptoms.
Officers also recovered four grams of psilocin – a psychedelic substance found in mushrooms.
Driver hit 111mph on A9 after getting news mum was sick
A driver clocked at 111mph on the A9 north of Inverness was distracted by news that his mother was unwell, a court has heard.
Police camera equipment recorded Ross Beaton’s vehicle travelling at 41mph over the speed limit at Arpafeelie on the Black Isle.
But his solicitor said that he had failed to appreciate his speed after being told his mother had fallen ill and needed an ambulance.
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Paedophile could be spared jail due to ‘basic’ prison healthcare
A terminally-ill paedophile could be spared jail after a court was told that “basic” prison healthcare and unreliable prison transport could threaten his treatment for cancer.
Former NHS psychiatric nurse Duncan Trueland is facing at least 12 months in prison and would likely die of bladder and lung cancer before he was freed.
His solicitor is arguing that Trueland should be allowed to serve his sentence in the community so he can receive chemotherapy and be with his wife.
Man had four knives to help him fix car
A man caught with four knives and half a pair of garden shears in his car claimed he was using them to fix an engine.
Jaroslaw Jankowski, 36, appeared “defensive” and was “acting nervously” when police pulled up behind his stationary vehicle.
A subsequent drugs search did not result in any narcotics, but police did find five bladed items within the vehicle.
‘Sinister and controlling’ Aberdeen serial rapist jailed
A serial rapist who abused nine women and shot a video of himself sexually assaulting a victim has been jailed for 12 years.
Stephen Kidd, 36, was convicted by a jury of terrorising women in the Aberdeen area between June 2005 and August 2020.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard how Kidd subjected his victims, none of whom can be named for legal reasons, to horrifying sexual and physical assaults.
Pair sentenced over brutal high-rise stabbing
Two men have been sentenced over their involvement in a savage late-night Aberdeen high-rise stabbing.
Darren Walsh, 55, and Austin Forbes, 45, left the man needing emergency surgery after they followed him to the drying room of Rose House in Hazlehead and launched their attack.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard a struggle ensued, with Walsh pulling a knife and repeatedly stabbing his victim to the body.
Woman attacked friend’s mum with prosecco bottle
An Ellon woman has been electronically tagged after she attacked her friend’s mum with a prosecco bottle.
Mother-of-one Amber Bruce left the woman’s face “covered” in blood after turning on her victim during a get-together at her friend’s Kemnay home.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told things turned violent when the 31-year-old turned to the woman out of the blue and stated: “You think I’m a bad mother, don’t you?”
She then punched the woman and repeatedly struck her on the head with a bottle.
Hapless thief caught after car breaks down
A car thief was caught by police after his stolen vehicle broke down just 20 minutes after he drove off with it.
Marek Novikovs, 20, stole the Honda Civic from outside an address on Hilton Place, Aberdeen, in the middle of the night but he didn’t get far.
The vehicle was immediately reported stolen and officers wasted no time in tracing it on Mugiemoss Road, with Novikovs still inside.
Liverpudlian drug courier jailed
A Liverpudlian drug courier who moved cash and drugs totalling £88,000 in order to clear a drugs debt has been jailed
Joseph Chandler had £61,000 of heroin and almost £27,000 in cash hidden within supermarket bags when police searched a car in the Bridge of Don.
The drugs haul was discovered after police observed the 32-year-old carrying out a drug deal on Balgownie Drive on March 6 2020, Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told.
Unpaid work for man who was ‘absolute nuisance’
A man who harassed customers at an Inverness fast-food restaurant has been ordered to carry out unpaid work.
Darrell Russell, was being an “absolute nuisance” inside McDonald’s on Inverness’ High Street, asking customers for their phone numbers and trying to access staff-only areas.
But when he was asked to leave by restaurant staff he repeatedly refused.
Inverness knifeman acquitted of petrol bomb attacks
A mentally ill man who hurled lit petrol bombs at police and had to be shot by officers has been acquitted of the crime.
Krzystof Andruczak turned on a team of officers who attended at his flat in Inverness on March 31 last year.
The 41-year-old – who was wearing a gas mask and was in camouflage clothes – was also armed with two knives and a metal chain.
Jail for domestic abuser
A repeat offender has been jailed after he drunkenly assaulted his girlfriend following a memorial event for his late sister.
John Easson, 32, slapped the woman so hard across the face that her tooth came loose after he first accused her of cheating on him, Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told.
Fiscal depute Carol Gammie said the couple had been in an on-off relationship for seven years when the incident happened, on October 18 2022.
Man who throttled partner jailed
A Peterhead man has been jailed after police walked in as he was throttling his ex-girlfriend on the ground.
David Dickson, 32, admitted taking a “cocktail” of drink and drugs and lunging at the woman, shoving her onto the floor of a bedroom before climbing on top of her and placing his hands around her neck.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told the woman’s friends heard her desperate pleas for help and tried to barge into the room.
Paedophile caught with indecent images for second time
A 22-year-old paedophile has been warned he could face a prison sentence after being caught with indecent images of children for a second time.
Daniel McGladrigan already had a previous conviction for the same crime from 2021 but has now appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court to admit another offence.
As a result of the first offence, the 22-year-old is monitored by the sexual offender policing unit.
Music teacher cleared of sexual assault on pupils
A former music teacher at a top Aberdeen private school has been cleared of allegations that he sexually assaulted two of his pupils through inappropriate embraces.
Peter Parfitt was accused of sexually assaulting the pair while the former director of music worked at St Margaret’s School for Girls.
The 56-year-old joined the Albyn Place school in 2007 but had his contract terminated after a “substantial internal investigation” in April 2022.
He was alleged to have committed the offences on dates between 2012 and 2021.
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Court admonishes pensioner after row over cat
A disabled man who was brutally beaten up by his neighbour in a row over a cat has said he is “appalled” by an Aberdeen court’s decision to admonish his attacker.
Barrie Tough, 48, was rushed to hospital after he was attacked by William Masson close to his home on May 25 last year when the two had a disagreement about Mr Tough’s cat, Jacko.
Masson was unhappy about how loudly Mr Tough would call for Jacko to return home at the end of the day.
Final ruling into ‘catastrophic capsize’ of a cargo vessel
A sheriff has ruled the “catastrophic capsize” of a cargo vessel off the Pentland Firth had “inevitably fatal consequences” for the crew.
MV Cemfjord, a bulk cement carrier, was last recorded travelling west through the Pentland Firth, a stretch of sea between Orkney and the north Caithness coast, on the afternoon of January 2 2015.
It was last heard from at 3pm that day and its upturned hull was discovered by a Northlink ferry Hrossey the next day following “violent” weather conditions.
Turriff paedophile pensioner
A paedophile pensioner was caught after the National Child Abuse Inquiry received intelligence that indecent images of children had been uploaded from his address.
Marek Rosiak was caught with more than 100 vile sexual images of underage youngsters stashed on a tablet in his home in Turriff.
As well as more than an hour and a half worth of sickening videos, the 74-year-old first-offender also had a chat thread on the app Telegram containing child images.
Driver grins as he dodges ban
A careless driver grinned as he dodged a ban despite causing a horror head-on crash involving a mum and son in Aberdeenshire.
Christopher Tracy lost control of his black Saab on the B9119 Aberdeen to Tarland road near Collie’s Yard, Midmar, and slammed into a vehicle coming in the opposite direction.
The other car, carrying a mum and son, was sent rolling into a ditch where it came to rest on its roof.
Man disqualified after listening to music while drinking beer in his car
A man who “derives comfort” from drinking beer and listening to music in his car has been banned from driving.
Tomasz Sawicki’s television set was broken so he went out to his car to listen to tunes and have a can of Budweiser, Inverness Sheriff Court was told.
At a previous hearing, the court heard that Sawicki, 49, became abusive and aggressive with the officers and he also refused to give two breath samples.
Drink-driver’s foolish decision
A Christmas night out ended in the cells after an Elgin reveller made the “foolish decision” to drive home.
Colin Rose didn’t get far, however, and crashed his car into a bollard just moments into the illegal journey home.
A taxi driver spotted his crashed car and called police, who found him to be almost four times the drink-drive limit, Elgin Sheriff Court was told.
Fiscal depute Karen Poke said the incident happened in the early hours of December 16 last year.
Man beat woman so much he injured his hand
A serial woman-beater has been locked up after chasing a female through Aberdeen city centre and punching her until he injured his hand.
Stefan Sivers racked up his sixth conviction for crimes against women when appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and admitted the disturbing attack.
The 31-year-old was seen pursuing the crying woman through city centre streets before cornering her and launching a physical attack.
Ex-footballer was in charge of major drug dealing operation
A former football player was jailed for nine years today after he was found to be in charge of a major drug dealing operation in the Highlands.
Alasdair Finlayson was linked to a stash of cocaine and cannabis worth more than £650,000 on the streets.
A judge told former Alness United player Finlayson: “You were in charge and actively involved in a substantial drug dealing operation.”
Man abducted five-year-old boy and fled to Asia
A man who fled to Asia with a five-year-old boy and stayed there for a decade has been convicted of abduction and jailed for 21 months.
Scott Forbes’ actions deprived the child’s mother of contact with her son for 10 years and caused “unquantifiable” harm, Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told.
The 62-year-old applied for a passport for the boy without her knowledge and flew him out of the country in secret from Aberdeen International Airport in 2012.
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