Our reporters have been sitting in courtrooms across the north and north-east this week and covered a wide variety of cases.
Jealous girlfriend sent intimate picture to mum of love triangle rival
A jealous girlfriend got revenge on a love rival by sending an explicit picture of the woman to her own mother.
Teihgan Lawrie sent the intimate picture in a vindictive bid to “humiliate and embarrass” her, Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told.
The 26-year-old also branded the woman a “beaut” and a “homewrecker” in an expletive-laden voicemail before turning up at her house.
Fiscal depute Lydia Ross told the court the incident happened on March 18 this year.
Retired social worker fined for attacking nurse with butter knife
A retired social worker has been fined after attacking hospital staff – brandishing a chair and even striking one nurse in the face with a knife.
Angus Murray was admitted to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary after taking a tumble at home but soon turned violent towards medical staff.
But his solicitor, Alex Burn, was quick to emphasise his client was “certainly no knife-wielding maniac”, and that the blade had been a butter knife.
Ellon biker in dock over horror crash that led to friend’s foot amputation
A biker has admitted causing a horror crash which left his pillion passenger so severely injured his foot had to be amputated.
Stuart McLennan had been giving his good friend a lift on his motorbike when the terrifying incident happened on the B9170 near Auchnieve.
The 40-year-old crashed into another car during an attempted overtake on a blind bend, leaving both men horribly injured.
Man brandished bat and told neighbour ‘you are dead’
A man brandished a baseball bat at his neighbour while telling him “you are dead”.
Alan MacDonald, 58, fell out with his neighbour during a drinking session at his Muir of Ord home.
After an initial scuffle, the pair were separated by onlookers and returned to their houses, only for MacDonald to emerge brandishing the weapon and shouting the threat.
Aberdeen supporter in court after hurling abuse at Rangers fans
An Aberdeen fan who hurled abuse about Rangers supporters has been banned from away games for the next 12 months.
Jamie Davidson, 46, made the remarks outside Hampden Park on January 15 2023.
The Dons and their Glasgow rivals were set to face off in the Scottish League Cup semi-final, which Rangers later won 2-1.
Davidson, of Inverbervie, was enraged after he was refused entry to the match.
US court begins murder trial of Mintlaw man accused of shooting disabled wife dead
The murder trial of a Mintlaw man who allegedly gunned down his disabled wife in America has started in Mississippi.
Wayne Fraser, 47, is facing life imprisonment for the fatal shooting of his 55-year-old wheelchair-bound partner Natalie Ryan-Fraser in the southern US state.
Lowndes County Sheriff’s deputies discovered her body during a welfare check at an apartment on Cedar Street, Caledonia, at 8am on Thursday December 30 2021.
Man jailed after harrowing 12-year campaign of horrific domestic abuse
A man who targeted three different partners during a harrowing campaign of domestic abuse has been jailed for two years.
Daniel Curry subjected three women to physical and mental abuse that included violent attacks and threats to harm their family members.
During the abuse, which his victims suffered over the course of years, he threw things, spat in their faces and choked them.
On one occasion he threatened to burn a caravan down with the woman and her children inside.
Drink-driver jailed after failing to complete community payback
A man who drove uninsured and over the limit has been jailed for seven months.
Lewis Forbes initially refused to provide a breath test when officers traced him following a call from a concerned member of the public.
Forbes had previously admitted the charges and received a community payback order with 160 hours of unpaid work as well as a disqualification from driving.
Family of tragic grandmother hit out at young killer’s sentence
The family of a Montrose woman killed by a dangerous driver has hit out at sentencing guidelines which saw more than a year cut from his prison sentence.
Arran McPherson, 22, lost control of his car and struck and killed dog-walker Dolores Humphries – known as Saint Doe – on December 11 2021.
He had earlier pled guilty to causing the death of the 61-year-old much-loved grandmother by dangerous driving.
At the High Court in Glasgow, Lord Beckett locked up McPherson, 22, for three years and 10 months.
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Racist’s public meltdown over lack of coleslaw in Duthie Park cafe
A racist threatened to “smash up” a popular Aberdeen cafe and demanded an employee “go back to her own country” after his meal came without coleslaw.
Kevin Goffin became irate and started shouting and swearing at staff in the Park Cafe in Duthie Park, which was busy with families and young children at the time.
The 41-year-old “coped extraordinarily badly” with his gripe about the food and launched a foul-mouthed, racist tirade of abuse.
Dufftown man who gave thumbs up to sick image of child spared jail
A man who gave a thumbs-up emoji after receiving a sick image of a child in a WhatsApp group has been spared jail.
Sergio Costa, 41, had a number of vile images featuring children as young as three on his devices, Inverness Sheriff Court was told.
Costa appeared for sentencing having previously admitted a single charge of taking, permitting to be taken or making indecent images of children between January 23 and August 7 2020.
Man guilty of Aberdeen high-rise attempted murder
A violent Aberdeen thug has been found guilty of a “cold and callous” murder bid that left his victim brain damaged and unable to walk.
Sandy Mundie, 37, knocked out Jamie Hood with a single punch during the attack in Aberdeen’s Greig Court before repeatedly stamping on his head as he lay unconscious on the ground.
A jury at the High Court in Aberdeen convicted Mundie of attempted murder after hearing evidence that he also partially undressed and then wrapped 31-year-old Jamie’s lifeless body in a sheet and dragged it into a stairwell.
Keith paedophile caught after uploading compilation of sick videos
A Keith paedophile was caught out after uploading a sick compilation video to a cloud storage service.
Kenneth Hird had more than 18 hours of footage and 398 indecent images of children aged from two to 15 on his devices.
Some of the content featured adults, some other children and some a dog.
Pair armed with meat cleaver, baton and knife rob man
Two men have been caged over a brutal and sustained attack involving a baton, a knife and a meat cleaver in the victim’s own home on Hogmanay.
Patrick O’Neill and Ian Bonnyman jumped the man as he returned to his flat in Mastrick and rained kicks and punches on him.
Their terrified victim was left with a catalogue of serious injuries, Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told.
The assailants eventually left with a duvet cover filled with thousands of pounds worth of loot.
Buckie Thistle player accused of seriously injuring partner with blade
A Highland League player appeared in court today after his partner was seriously injured in an alleged attack involving a blade.
Buckie Thistle’s Samuel Urquhart, 32, was arrested following an incident at a property in Woodlands Brae, Inverness, on Monday afternoon.
Police Scotland said they were called to the home after reports of a disturbance and a 29-year-old woman and 32-year-old man were subsequently taken to Raigmore Hospital.
Highland family terrorised during harrowing £40,000 home invasion
A Peterhead thug has admitted being part of a masked gang that stole more than £40,000 from a family during a terrifying Highland home invasion.
Kyle Rossiter, 23, was one of up to six raiders who burst into the bungalow near Beauly on October 19 2020.
A man and his wife – both aged 59 – along with other family members were bound up with towels, cables and a belt and warned they’d be stabbed if they didn’t cooperate.
‘You will not survive the night’: Yob’s chilling threat to Tesco staff
A shirtless shoplifter told an employee they would “not survive the night” and threatened to bite police officers’ noses off.
Robert Whyte was seen stumbling around the Tesco Express at the petrol station on King Street near Aberdeen Sports Village.
The 43-year-old threw a bottle and plastic coins at employees and squared up to one man while making chilling threats.
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Man grabbed woman’s breast after seeing her female pal do the same
A man who grabbed a woman’s breast as she smoked with a friend outside a Highland social club has been ordered to pay her £500 compensation.
Robert Bonner carried out the sexual assault after seeing the woman’s friend touching her chest in jest.
Bonner initially let go of the woman’s breast when she “froze” in reaction to the assault, but then grabbed it for a second time.
Dingwall drug-driver was foaming at the mouth when stopped by police
A Dingwall driver who was foaming at the mouth when stopped by police was more than three times the drug-driving limit.
Jack MacLean, 20, tried to hide his face from police when he passed them on the road in Dingwall – raising their suspicions.
When officers caught up and stopped him they noted his pupils were dilated, his speech slurred and he had “foam around his mouth”.
Drink-driving Aberdeen mum crashed car with child in backseat
A drink-driving mum from Aberdeen crashed her car while more than three-and-a-half times the legal alcohol limit – with a child in the back seat.
Kireeanne Brownlee crashed into another vehicle while on the wrong side of the B993 Port Elphinstone to Kemnay road.
Other drivers then stopped to make sure those involved were alright and saw Brownlee get out and check on a child in the backseat.
The 29-year-old mum then failed a breath test and was arrested.
Aberdeen grandmother embezzled £1.5m from scrap metal firm
An Aberdeen grandmother who swindled more than £1.5 million from a scrap metal business enjoyed expensive family holidays, bought new cars and caravans and set up savings accounts for her grandchildren.
Panda Rosa Metals employee Coleen Muirhead later admitted embezzling the money and told a colleague in a message: “Police have just raided! So I will need visitor in jail! Please don’t think the worst of me.”
When her colleague replied that she was totally confused, Muirhead told her: “Don’t be I have taken the money am so sorry.”
Woman assaulted security guard by pouring JD and Coke over him
An Aberdeen woman has been fined after pouring a can of Jack Daniels and Coke over an Asda security guard’s head.
Elizabeth Milne popped into the Garthdee store to buy alcohol with her partner but drew the attention of security staff due to being banned.
The 29-year-old tried to take some cocktail cans to the checkouts but got into a row with a security guard who challenged her.
Milne reacted by assaulting the man, opening one of the cans and pouring the liquid over his head.
Driver banned after leading police on high-speed chase across Black Isle
A driver has been banned from the roads after leading police on a blue-light chase across the Black Isle.
Jake MacDonald was clocked at 116mph on the A9 at Arpafeelie, before speeding away from officers who took up the pursuit.
MacDonald continued driving at speeds of up to 80mph even after he burst a tyre trying to navigate traffic calming measures.
Man jailed for choking underage girl during illegal sex
A man who gave an underage teenage girl drink and drugs and then choked her during illegal sex has been jailed for a year.
Benjamin Lewis initially believed the girl, who was drinking alcohol in a bar when they met, to be over 18.
But when he learned that she was under 16 he continued to pursue the relationship, having “nightly” illegal sex with the teen, during which he would place his hands around her neck and apply pressure.
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