Our reporters have been sitting in courtrooms across the north and north-east this week and covered a wide variety of cases.
Angry domestic abuser evaded doorbell camera to enter home
An angry ex evaded a doorbell camera to enter his former partner’s home uninvited, scaring her and her teenage son.
Domestic abuser Steven Cameron was under the influence of alcohol when he walked into his ex’s home through an unlocked back door, avoiding the doorbell camera at the front entrance.
The residents at the address were so alarmed by his behaviour that they left and sought refuge with Women’s Aid.
Callous Aberdeen hit-and-run driver avoids jail
A hit-and-run driver who left an Aberdeen dad with catastrophic, life-changing injuries has avoided being sent to prison.
Carla Stein drove away after causing the horrific collision at the junction between Guild Street and Market Street.
The 22-year-old left the biker, who is a father and husband, with a triple leg break as well as a huge financial and psychological impact on him.
Yob spared jail over brutal unprovoked attack on stranger
A yob who battered a stranger unconscious in a Stonehaven nightspot in an unprovoked attack has been allowed to retain his liberty.
Michael Allan’s victim was playing pool with a female friend in Zee’s Nightclub on Barclay Street when the incident took place.
Allan, 21, entered the nightspot and approached the woman, whom he knew, immediately stating he “disliked” her friend, whom he did not know.
Stonehaven pensioner admits causing crash that killed dad-of-three
A Stonehaven pensioner has been fined £4,000 after causing the death of a father-of-three in a tragic collision on the A92.
Christopher Reid suffered catastrophic injuries when he was thrown from his motorbike in the crash at the Bridge of Muchalls junction.
Despite frantic efforts to save his life, the 47-year-old was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary in July last year.
American Bulldog bit chunk out of neighbour’s arm
The owner of a blue American bulldog that bit a chunk out of a neighbour’s arm has been ordered to pay the man £750 compensation.
Inverness Sheriff Court was told that the 10-month-old dog, called Storm – who has since been put down – bit the man so deeply it exposed muscle.
Storm’s victim had to visit the hospital twice a week for 10 weeks for treatment and has been left permanently scarred.
Sheriff questions whether Just Stop Oil protestors were taken advantage of
Two Just Stop Oil protestors who threw orange paint over a building in Aberdeen city centre have escaped punishment after a sheriff questioned whether they were taken advantage of.
Alex Milne, 23, and Louis Fraser, 25, were part of a group that doused the Silver Fin office block on Union Street with bright orange paint to protest occupants Barclays Bank’s involvement with fossil fuel projects.
The pair had been due to stand trial accused of breach of the peace but tendered last-minute pleas of guilty to an alternative charge of malicious mischief.
The court was told both are “vulnerable” and now regret carrying out the protest.
Drug-driver took cannabis edibles for pain from accident three decades ago
A drug-driver had taken cannabis edibles to combat ongoing pain from an accident more than three decades ago, a court has heard.
Ian Vanzetta was stopped by police carrying out routine checks, but his car smelled of cannabis and he had dilated pupils.
A drug test came back positive for cannabis and further testing revealed he was more than twice the legal limit for that drug.
Special needs school worker guilty of assaulting a vulnerable autistic child
An Aberdeenshire special needs school worker has been found guilty of assaulting a vulnerable autistic child.
Wannette Mundie, 51, formerly a pupil support assistant, had denied allegations she grabbed the child but was found guilty following a two-day trial last month at Peterhead Sheriff Court.
The child – who cannot be named for legal reasons – is severely autistic and non-verbal and was aged eight at the time of the assault, which happened whilst at school.
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Dangerous driver led cops on 135mph chase near Ellon
A dangerous driver tackled a roundabout in the wrong direction and hit speeds of up to 135mph during a terrifying high-speed chase on the A90.
Ryan Grant’s actions were so dangerous that police were forced to abandon the pursuit over safety fears before somebody could be hurt or killed.
But the cocky 34-year-old was caught the next day after being seen driving around in the same vehicle.
Porsche driver did double the speed limit through NC500 village
A Porsche driver was caught doing double the speed limit through an NC500 village, a court has heard.
Russell Backhouse’s grey Porsche GT3 – worth more than £180,000 – was spotted by officers as it sped into the village of Melvich on the A836.
Dashcam footage from the police vehicle showed the car travelling at around 60mph through the 30mph limit with its wheels crossing the white line in places.
Victim’s family praise sentence for thug who crippled man
The family of man who was left paralysed after being brutally beaten and left for dead in an Aberdeen high-rise has described the prison sentence given to his “remorseless” attacker as “justified”.
Sandy Mundie knocked Jamie Hood unconscious with a single “flying punch” during an unprovoked attack at Greig Court before repeatedly stamping on his head as he lay helpless on the ground.
The 37-year-old partially undressed and then wrapped Mr Hood’s lifeless body in a sheet and dragged it into a stairwell.
Fishing firm fined £220,000 after crewman dies in gas leak
A fishing company and its boss have been fined more than £220,000 after a crewman died and three others were injured in a deadly gas leak onboard a North Sea trawler.
James Duthie, 66, appeared in the dock at Peterhead Sheriff Court as the face of his multi-million-pound business and admitted a series of health and safety failures that resulted in the death of William Ironside.
Mr Ironside, 52, was asphyxiated by Freon gas that had leaked into the refrigerated saltwater tank of MV Sunbeam as it was docked at Fraserburgh Harbour in 2018.
‘I’m just a soldier’: Man’s plea after being caught with £153,000 of drugs
A man caught with cannabis, cocaine and blocks of amphetamine worth more than £150,000 in Aberdeen told police he was “just a soldier”.
Rafal Solecki was snared with the staggering haul when officers burst into his home on Menzies Road in Aberdeen.
In total, the substances, some of which were vacuum packed and some of which were in block form, had a potential street value of £153,500 if sold in small deals.
Drink-driver hit parked car after swigging Jack Daniels behind wheel
A drink-driver crashed his van into a parked car in Aberdeen after swigging from a bottle of Jack Daniels.
Grzegorz Plichta stopped off at Tesco after work to buy a bottle of bourbon, then started drinking it after parking up near his home.
The 32-year-old then decided to move his van slightly closer to his address and collided with a parked car in the process.
Plichta promptly panicked and drove off to a nearby street where he was found by police.
‘I’m just a soldier’: Man’s plea after being caught with £153,000 of drugs
A man caught with cannabis, cocaine and blocks of amphetamine worth more than £150,000 in Aberdeen told police he was “just a soldier”.
Rafal Solecki was snared with the staggering haul when officers burst into his home on Menzies Road in Aberdeen.
In total, the substances, some of which were vacuum packed and some of which were in block form, had a potential street value of £153,500 if sold in small deals.
Inverness drink-driver jailed for ‘life-threatening’ bookies smash
A drink-driving mother who badly injured three men when she smashed her car into a bookmaker’s shop has been jailed for three years.
Donna Stewart ignored her victims’ pleas to slow down before she ploughed into a branch of William Hill in Inverness city centre.
Stewart, 46, was originally charged with attempted murder but her August trial in Aberdeen was halted when she pled guilty to the lesser charge of causing serious injury by dangerous driving while intoxicated.
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Pet ban not ‘particularly appropriate’ for man who kicked dog in face
A man who kicked a dog in the head so hard it was sent flying backwards has dodged a pet ban after a sheriff said it “didn’t seem particularly appropriate”.
Dean MacLennan booted Bella the Staffordshire Bull Terrier in an “unprovoked” attack as he walked along Union Street in the early hours of the morning.
The 30-year-old claimed the dog had bitten him on the face, but CCTV and his lack of injuries did not support his version of events.
Serial stalker flew from Middle East to be by victim’s bedside in hospital
A serial stalker travelled more than 3,400 miles to visit an ex-boyfriend in hospital – despite the fact he’d begged her to leave him alone.
Emma Johnston bombarded her former partner with hundreds and hundreds of WhatsApp messages, emails and calls following the end of their relationship, Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told.
Her campaign of harassment culminated in Johnston flying back from a holiday in the Middle East after hearing that the man had been admitted to hospital.
Young dad told to be ‘better role model’ after battering man
An Aberdeen dad has been warned that he should be a “better role model” to his child after he attacked a member of the public with a plank of wood.
Father-of-one Callum Tingle appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court where he admitted carrying out the assault on a man using a piece of scrap wood before raining blows on his face.
The victim, a neighbour of Tingle’s friend, was angry after the 23-year-old’s partner pulled up in her car and repeatedly sounded the horn outside his home.
Danger dog who committed bloody attack will not be destroyed
A dog who savaged a tradesman and left him needing medical treatment will not be put down after a sheriff deemed it “not a danger to the public”.
Staffordshire pitbull cross Bailey left the Laurencekirk internet fitter needing treatment that included antibiotics and a tetanus jab after he sunk his teeth into the man’s leg.
Bailey’s owner, Brian Scott, had him on a chain lead at the time after the worker expressed concerns about the dog’s behaviour, Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told.
Schoolgirl, 13, raped by man in Aberdeen city centre
A serial sex attacker who raped a 13-year-old girl while on a visit to Aberdeen has been told his crimes are “abhorrent”.
Shaun Penders, from Lerwick, also raped a 13-year-old child on Shetland in 2019 before attacking and raping the girl in Aberdeen city centre three years later.
The High Court in Edinburgh was told he also sexually assaulted a teenage girl outside a public hall in Shetland in 2015 when he was 16.
Man to stand trial accused of Aberdeen church rape
A man is to stand trial charged with raping a woman at an Aberdeen church.
Sean Wyness, 33, is said to have carried out the alleged sex attack on May 14 or 15 2022 at East St Clement’s Church in Aberdeen.
The charge includes accusations he seized the woman by the hair, made offensive remarks and repeatedly pinned her against a wall.
Aberdeen woman screamed racist tirade at bar worker
A woman hurled a volley of racist abuse at a bar manager after she was told she was too drunk to be served another drink.
Jodie Fraser, 23, was denied alcohol when she tried to order more during last orders at The Wig on Union Street in Aberdeen.
When she was offered water instead, Fraser threw the glass tumbler at the woman, causing it to smash into the wall behind her.
Trickster used sleight of hand magic to defraud Elgin supermarket
A man has admitted using sleight of hand magic to trick a supermarket cashier out of £200.
Vasile Rostas pled guilty to the fraud, which took place at Elgin’s Tesco on Blackfriars Road, on 22 September 2020.
The sly trickster managed to distract the worker so he could conceal £200 of his £400 bill using a magician-like dexterous hand manoeuvre.
Inverness family flee revenge fire attack started by jilted lover
A family with four children fled their Inverness home after a woman doused the hallway of flats with white spirit and set it on fire.
The fire-starter, 24-year-old Jade Vint, told police she started the blaze because she was annoyed that her boyfriend had split up with her.
Inverness Sheriff Court was told the incident happened on August 22 2022 in Glendoe Terrace and came after Vint had been drinking with neighbours.
Man took car for drunken spin just days after driving ban
A Kemnay man who took his partner’s car on a drunken spin had been handed a driving ban only days before.
Terence McPhee sped off in his wife’s silver Kia after she returned to a property to collect her belongings.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told that when the woman saw her car was gone she called the police, who arrested McPhee when he returned just minutes later.
Man drove off with BMW after finding keys in street
A man who tried to give his girlfriend a BMW after he found the keys in the street has ended up in court – after she called the police.
Instead of handing in the lost keys, disqualified driver Michael Robinson took off and drove to his girlfriend’s home.
Despite his attempts to present the car as a gift, the 44-year-old’s girlfriend was having none of it and promptly called the police.
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