Weekend court roll – a bus stop pervert and a nightmare neighbour

Our reporters have been sitting in courtrooms across the north and north-east this week and covered a wide variety of cases.

Aberdeen man guilty of neglect as child suffers cigarette burn to face

An Aberdeen man has been found guilty of child neglect after a young boy was burned by a cigarette.

Christopher Wrench was in charge of the child’s care when the youngster suffered a small, circular injury to his cheek.

The boy was later taken to hospital by someone else who spotted the mark and was concerned.

At Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital, paediatric consultant Marianne Forrester examined the boy and said the wound was consistent with an “end on” cigarette burn.

Huntly drink-driver walked into police station and reported himself

An honest drink-driver walked into a police station and reported himself after he’d taken his car out on a test drive in Huntly while over the limit.

John Stevenson appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court where he admitted driving his white Hyundai i40 while more than twice the limit permitted to get behind the wheel.

When the car broke down, the 57-year-old walked to Huntly Police Station where he told officers he had been driving while under the influence.

His solicitor told the court that Stevenson had had a few drinks while cooking dinner and took the car out to ensure it was working.

Woman sent naked pictures and supplied vapes to 15-year-old boy

An Aberdeen woman has avoided going to prison after she sent naked pictures of herself to a teenage boy and propositioned him for sex – telling him she wanted to see his “young body”.

Galina Radkova appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court for sentencing after she admitted sending sexual messages to the teen over a four-month period, including pictures of her private parts.

It was stated that the 44-year-old was supplying the 15-year-old boy with disposable vapes and asked for “hugs and kisses” in exchange.

She also told the teenager he had a “perfect body” and that she “didn’t want an old man’s wrinkly body”, adding that she preferred “a young teenage body”.

Man’s ‘foolish’ wine-fuelled journey through Keith town centre

A Kent man has admitted his “very foolish” decision to get behind the wheel after downing a whole bottle of wine.

John Dillon, 64, had been working in the Keith area last month and visited the town’s Grampian Hotel on Regent Street to have dinner.

The court heard that Dillon was seen by the bar staff drinking the whole contents of a bottle of wine, before leaving the hotel at around 8.40pm on September 20 this year.

Fiscal Karen Poke said Dillon was then spotted by an eyewitness, “swerving” his Volkswagen Amorak down Regent Street, so they quickly phoned the police.

Pervert sexually assaulted child at Aberdeen bus stop

A dangerous child predator has found himself back in court after grabbing and sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl at a bus stop in Aberdeen.

Martin McNolty pounced on the young girl as she attempted to board a bus on Powis Terrace.

The 42-year-old grabbed her by the body and sexually assaulted her, touching her breasts over her clothing and embracing her without consent.

McNolty is already on the sex offenders register after being found guilty of a similar offence in May this year.

Aberdeen film-maker disqualified after drink-driving

A north-east film director has been banned from the roads after he was found to be behind the wheel at nearly five times the drink-drive limit.

Lee Hutcheon, 50, appeared for trial at Aberdeen Sheriff Court where he entered a plea of guilty and admitted driving his car while heavily under the influence of alcohol.

When tested, Hutcheon was found to be nearly five times the limit while in charge of a motor vehicle.

It is understood Hutcheon was driving his partner home to get medication – which his solicitor described as a “good deed gone wrong”.

Man’s threatening behaviour on train left 14-year-old girl in tears

A drunken train passenger swigged from Buckfast and made “obscene and rude” remarks to a 14-year-old girl, a court has heard.

Liam Curry already appeared intoxicated when he boarded the Inverness-bound Scotrail service at Perth and sat across the aisle from the young teen.

The girl ignored his unwanted attention, but Curry’s repeated attempts to engage her in conversation, as well as his loud and vulgar behaviour, were such that other passengers stepped in.

When the obviously distressed teenager alighted at Kingussie she ran, crying, to her father, who was waiting on the platform.

Police bust drink-driver after bust-up at Aberdeen Busted gig

A man was caught drink-driving after falling out with his wife while at a Busted concert in Aberdeen.

Liam Ironside had planned a night away in Aberdeen with his wife to unwind and watch the popular boyband.

But when the couple fell out, Ironside, 29, decided to head back to their hotel.

And when he returned later on to pick up his wife after the gig, Ironside was pulled over and found to be more than two-and-a-half times the legal alcohol level.

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Man in dock after police respond to report of person with ‘gun’

A man has appeared in court after armed police swarmed an Aberdeen street following reports of a person with a “gun”.

Police were seen in Linksfield Road at 5pm on Monday evening after reports of a man armed with a “gun” in the area.

Fortunately, the “gun” in question turned out to be an imitation one and nobody was hurt in the incident, near Aberdeen Sports Village.

Now, Ian Jolly has appeared in private at Aberdeen Sheriff Court in connection with the matter.

Buckie woman admits assaulting ex-partner with a wooden brush

A Buckie woman has admitted assaulting her ex-partner with a wooden brush.

Kerry Smith, 42, attacked the man in a house on the town’s Gordon Street on August 3 this year.

Smith appeared in Elgin’s Sheriff Court admitting to pushing him, striking him and attempting to grab his mobile phone.

Smith, of Craigbo Terrace, also admitted “repeatedly” hitting him on the head with a wooden brush, tripping him up and causing him to fall to the ground – all to his injury.

Offshore worker chased and attacked female paramedic

A drug-addled thug chased and attacked a female paramedic who tried to help him after he took unwell in an Aberdeen flat.

An ambulance was called for offshore worker Michael Geddes when he became unwell at a property on Howes View in the early hours of the morning.

But when emergency crews arrived to make sure he was alright, Geddes, 43, flew into a rage, swearing and swinging his arms at the paramedic, causing her to call for police support.

Such was Geddes’ aggression, the woman was forced to retreat to her ambulance, only to be chased by Geddes, who grabbed and tried to drag her back out of the vehicle.

Nightmare neighbour admits unprovoked attack

A woman has admitted an unprovoked attack on her next-door neighbour and weeks of antisocial abuse.

Mother-of-two Nevillie McPhee, 35, at first denied assaulting Elaine Sinclair – a former friend – who was living next door to her in Garmouth last year.

However, after a morning of evidence at Elgin Sheriff Court, McPhee had a change of heart and pled guilty to an amended charge of harassment and another of assault.

A further charge of threatening behaviour was dropped.

Van driver admits careless driving after cyclist filmed close pass

A van driver has admitted careless driving after a cyclist caught his close pass on a handlebar-mounted camera and handed the footage to police.

Jeffrey Carr failed to leave the cyclist sufficient room as he overtook into oncoming traffic on the A835, part of the NC500 route.

The incident was caught on camera and the driver later traced to his Northumberland home and charged.

Carr, 57, appeared at Inverness Sheriff Court to admit a single charge of careless driving by overtaking a cyclist in the face of oncoming traffic and leaving the cyclist with minimal room.

Turriff street assault fuelled by lobbed bag of chips

A woman ended up with stitches to her face after a brawl broke out when her boyfriend lobbed a bag of chips at his ex.

Jack Allen, 21, and his partner were driving down Turriff’s High Street when they happened past her former boyfriend, Grant Taylor.

He was with his current partner, Vicky Proctor, having just left a nightclub in the town at around 10pm.

Banff Sheriff Court heard as they drove past, Allen’s passenger  “showed her middle finger” to the couple.

Man called officer a ‘dog’ then threatened dirty protest in police van

A man threatened a dirty protest in a police van and then told officers he wished they would die, a court has heard.

Ryan Simpson, 27, was arrested after officers attended at his home following dropped calls to the 999 emergency number.

When police arrived he refused to turn off his loud music and began behaving in a “volatile” and “erratic” manner, swearing and insulting at officers.

Simpson admitted a charge of threatening or abusive behaviour at Inverness Sheriff Court.

Addict stalked mum for cash to fund ‘out of control’ drug habit

A drug addict has been jailed after frightening his parents and hounding them with repeated demands for money.

Max Milligan stalked his mother over a period of around two-and-a-half weeks in the summer, lurking outside her house and waiting for her to come out for work.

The 27-year-old’s long-suffering mum was pressured into agreeing to send him cash just to make him leave.

Fiscal depute David Ballock told Aberdeen Sheriff Court Milligan turned up at his parents’ house in Aberdeen at 3pm on June 17 asking for money.

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Fine and points for driver who knocked off motorcyclist at crossroads

A driver who turned into the path of an oncoming motorcyclist has admitted driving without due care or attention

Lucy Russell’s car collided with the motorbike as she navigated a busy Inverness city centre crossroads.

The collision caused the biker to fall onto the road, Inverness Sheriff Court was told.

Russell, 22, was not present at court where her solicitor admitted a single charge of driving without due care or attention on her behalf.

Repeat drink-driver downed Dragon Soop

A man who completed a drink-driver educational course has been caught a second time – because he thought he was fine to drive an hour after downing a can of Dragon Soop.

Callum Calder-Hamilton was given a 20-month roads ban in March last year after committing a previous drink-driving offence.

The 25-year-old completed a drink-drivers’ rehabilitation course and saw his ban reduced – but it seems he hadn’t learned his lesson.

He was stopped by police again last month and found more than double the legal limit.

Man told to pay compensation to kids traumatised by paintball attack

An Elgin man who opened fire on a group of children with a paintball gun in revenge for them playing knock-door-run has been ordered to pay his young victims compensation.

Joe Taylor, 29, admitted the “gangster-style” attack on three youngsters – two 12-year-old boys and an eight-year-old girl – and now has 28 days to pay each of them £250.

They had been playing knock-door-run – also known as chickenellie and ding-dong-dash – when they turned up at his home.

As revenge, he chased after the children in his car before cornering them in a car park, where he then opened fire with his paintball gun, leaving them “covered in bruises” and terrified.

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