Our reporters have been sitting in courtrooms across the north and north-east this week and covered a wide variety of cases.
Noisy neighbour threatened to poo in police van
A man who threatened to poo in a police van and break an officer’s jaw has been told he’ll be jailed if the sheriff sees him again in court.
Ryan Simpson, 26, had been told to turn down his loud music by police who turned up at his Highland home, but instead, he replied: “F*** off, it is my house”.
Then he threatened them with violence and hurled insults as he appeared to be under the influence.
His anti-social antics landed Simpson in the dock to answer for his bad behaviour at the property on Wades Circle, Inverness, late one evening.
Father and son’s bar brawl
A Fife father and son’s overnight visit to Aberdeen led to a violent bar brawl that landed the pair in court on serious assault charges.
Bricklayers Wayne Clark, 47, and Matthew Clark, 23, admitted attacking patrons of Siberia Bar and Hotel between Christmas and New Year last year.
During one particularly violent exchange, Wayne Clark punched a man whose head struck the bar as he fell to the ground.
The rampage only ended when the pair fled the scene, however, they were soon traced by the police.
Aberdeenshire man guilty of raping women and sexually assaulting child
A man will be jailed for 18 sickening offences including raping women and sexually assaulting a child in Aberdeen and across the Banff and Buchan area.
Cameron Gardner had denied the rape, attempted rape and sexual assault of multiple victims on various occasions between June 2012 and May 2021.
But the 32-year-old, who was the director of a haulage firm, was convicted following a trial at the High Court in Dundee, where he was accused of 19 charges.
A jury of nine men and six women took almost two days to deliberate the evidence against Gardner before returning the mostly guilty verdicts.
No jail for Moray man’s sick animal porn video stash
A man’s sick stash of extreme pornography involving animals was branded “foul stuff” by a sheriff who later spared him jail.
Michael Upton had claimed not to remember having almost seven hours of indecent video content mostly stored on a hard drive that had not been accessed since 2015.
After describing the disgusting material, which included “pretty stark” images, as “foul stuff”, Sheriff Eilidh MacDonald told Upton that “some punishment is necessary”.
The 38-year-old appeared for sentencing on Monday, having previously admitted to a single charge of possessing extreme pornography.
Street attacker ‘revealed man’s genitals’
A violent thug knocked a man unconscious in an Aberdeen street, pulled down his trousers and underwear, and dragged him across the road.
Lee Hipson clashed with the man, who was an associate of his, outside the William Hill bookies on Byron Square in Northfield.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard the 30-year-old challenged his victim because he was urinating in public and the man responded with a threat to stab him.
Hipson lashed out with a punch, briefly knocking the man out as he fell to the ground, before pulling down his trousers and searching through his clothing.
A9 driver looked ‘asleep’ before crash
A dangerous driver who swerved into the path of an oncoming vehicle on the A9 was “slumped forward like he was asleep” in the moments before the crash, a court has heard.
Stephen Hughes, who was driving a blue Fiat 500, crossed into the path of an oncoming Mitsubishi Outlander near the Carrbridge junction.
Eyewitnesses said Hughes’ brake lights never came on and he didn’t respond to the oncoming driver who had been flashing his lights at him.
The 37-year-old pled guilty to a single charge of causing serious injury by dangerous driving during the incident just before 2pm on October 3 2018.
Gambling stole inheritance BEFORE mum died
A pensioner with a “lifelong” gambling addiction resorted to stealing almost £40,000 of his future inheritance before his mother had even died.
Gordon Davidson abused his position as her financial guardian and embezzled the cash to feed his habit.
The 75-year-old drained his mum’s bank accounts on an “almost daily basis” – breaking her trust by withdrawing for himself huge sums of cash that didn’t yet belong to him.
She sadly passed away before officials realised what he was doing and put a stop to the illicit activities.
No jail for child sex groomer because victim not real
A Fraserburgh man who planned to meet an underage girl for sex has avoided jail because the sheriff said the child groomer’s victim didn’t actually exist.
David Buchan travelled to Union Square in Aberdeen to meet the 13-year-old, who turned out to be a fake Facebook profile created to trap child sex offenders.
Police officers were waiting for the 58-year-old – instead of the fictitious teenager from Liverpool – and he was arrested before blaming his unlawful urges on “loneliness”.
Buchan later pled guilty to the charge of trying to “obtain sexual gratification” from the girl between August 6 to November 3 last year and arranging to meet her for sex.
Dingwall house guest bottled host
A house guest bottled his host before leaving the man’s home following an alcohol and drug-fuelled social visit, a court has been told.
Steven Shepherd went to his victim’s home to spend time together as the pair drank alcohol and took prescription drugs on November 25 of last year.
But a fight broke out at an address in Hill Street, Dingwall, with the 25-year-old grabbing an empty glass bottle and smashing it over the other man’s head.
He suffered two one-inch-long cuts to the top of his head, Inverness Sheriff Court heard.
Former Aberdeen designer clothes store boss convicted of rape
A disgraced Aberdeen businessman who once owned a designer clothes store in the city’s Galleria has been convicted of rape after claiming an attack was just “a bit of roleplay”.
Ryan Steehouder, 33, preyed on a woman who was forced to endure repeated physical and sexual abuse in the Aberdeen area between May 2011 and April 2015.
A trial at the High Court in Edinburgh heard evidence from Steehouder’s victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons.
She told of one attack in which the former owner of the now-closed fashion shop 1 Off raped her while claiming it was “roleplay”.
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Abuser bit woman’s breast and chased her down street
An Aberdeen man whose former partner suffered years of vile domestic abuse, including biting her breast and chasing her down a street, has finally been jailed.
Violent Taylor Lamb, 20, admitted launching a glass bottle at his ex-girlfriend in a fit of rage, striking her head so hard that blood was streaming down her face.
During the horrendous three-year relationship, he unleashed horrific physical abuse on the woman – including punching, biting and attempting to throttle her.
Lamb bit his victim’s breast in one incident and on another occasion in May last year, he chased the woman out of her home and down the street – then threw items at her.
Drunk driver drove bus crash wreck all the way home
A repeat drink-driver crashed into a bus on a busy Aberdeen road and then steered his wrecked vehicle almost a mile back to his home.
Dibu John was more than three times the legal alcohol limit when he collided with the First public bus at the junction between North Anderson Drive and the Lang Stracht.
Leaving the bus damaged and stranded in the middle of the busy carriageway, the 37-year-old somehow managed to drive his mangled Nissan Juke back home, where he was quickly traced by the police.
The crash came just over six months after John was caught drink-driving in the same vehicle on the city’s Eday Road.
Hotel guest’s £20k room fire damage
A violent Aberdeen hotel guest who caused more than £20,000 of damage when he set fire to his room and then attacked a visitor and staff member has avoided jail.
Despite the chaos at Leonardo Hotel in Dyce, a sheriff spared Terence Urquhart from a prison sentence so he could overcome his alcohol addiction and support his family.
The 35-year-old started the blaze when he “accidentally” discarded a lit cigarette in a wastepaper bin.
But as people were evacuated to the car park, Urquhart walked up to a fellow guest and punched him in the face, before spitting on him.
Violent Turriff Tesco car park thug
A Turriff dad punched a man in the town’s car park during a thuggish outburst that wasn’t the disgraced father’s first time offending.
Derek Simpson, 38, of Erroll Place in Turriff, pled guilty to the attack, which happened at the local Tesco store’s car park on November 5 last year.
He and Simpson’s 20-year-old son Ryan, who had both also been accused of threatening and abusive behaviour towards the victim and a child, had the charge dropped after a plea deal.
Other charges that were dropped against the pair were allegations they threatened and shouted aggressively at two other people at the same location, then followed them and approached their car in a threatening manner.
Bus stop pervert declared himself ‘King Tut’
A twisted serial sex offender targetted a girl at an Aberdeen bus stop where he bizarrely declared he was “King Tut” and then touched her breasts.
Martin McNolty – with a wine bottle in his hand – staggered up to the 13-year-old child, who was standing on the city’s Powis Terrace.
The drunken 42-year-old made puzzling references to ancient Egyptian royalty and asked if the teenager wanted to go on a flight, before putting his arms around her and swaying from side to side.
McNolty’s disturbing behaviour escalated when he began to touch the young person’s breasts and tried to prevent her from getting on the bus.
Rapist dad jailed again
An Aberdeen dad who went to prison for raping his daughter has again been jailed for another rape that she later recalled as being her “first memory as a child”.
Duncan Houston – a “predatory, opportunistic and sexually abusive” father was found guilty following a trial at the High Court in Aberdeen.
He preyed on his now-33-year-old daughter Nikki, who waived her right to anonymity, between 1994 and 2002 – at one stage when she was just four years old.
After less than an hour of deliberations, a jury last month convicted Houston, 59, and on Wednesday he shouted, “There’s no justice,” when told he’d serve another four years in custody.
‘Three litres of vodka a day’ drinker snuck into woman’s home
An “in denial” abuser from Buckie equipped himself with tools to enter his ex-partner’s house uninvited, took a knife from her kitchen and waited for her to arrive home.
Jody Bruce, 45, had previously carried out “covert surveillance” on the woman’s home, watching her leave before entering the property without permission.
Inside, the creepy home intruder removed a knife from the kitchen and placed it in open view as he sat in a chair, waiting for the unsuspecting resident to come back.
He was found sitting in the woman’s living room with the weapon nearby when she returned from a trip to the chemist.
Ambulance crew ‘attacked by angry mob
An angry mob attacked an ambulance crew while they tried to treat a seriously ill patient at an Inverness branch of McDonald’s, delaying the “unresponsive” teenager’s emergency medical treatment.
“Selfish” drunk Thomas Richmond, 21, pushed one ambulance technician and also kicked their blue lights vehicle and opened its doors.
His anti-social antics disrupted the 999 service’s attempts to help a 17-year-old boy who had been vomiting blood at the fast-food restaurant on the city’s High Street.
As the medics tried to treat the teenager, one ambulance technician was pushed by Richmond who also kicked the emergency vehicle and opened the doors.
ScotRail passenger made girl cry – costing him £1,500
A drunk ScotRail passenger who made a girl cry after telling her he wanted to “get his balls out” has been ordered to compensate the teenager with £1,500.
Liam Curry was told by a disgusted sheriff that he was being spared jail time “with considerable hesitation” following his obscene behaviour on a train towards Inverness.
The 28-year-old was also warned to stop drinking if he could not “handle” alcohol without becoming an indecent public nuisance.
Offensive remarks made by Curry after 8.10pm on December 9 last year left his upset victim in tears and running away to exit the carriage at the train station in Kingussie.
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Sex fiend Moray businessman convicted
A Moray businessman has been found guilty of sexually assaulting two women following a trial at Inverness Sheriff Court.
Michael Ramsay had denied charges that he sexually assaulted one woman by penetrating her with his fingers and sex toys and another by trying to remove her clothes and kiss her.
But a jury took under an hour to return guilty verdicts on both charges, after hearing two days of evidence against the 66-year-old.
They also convicted him of two charges of communicating indecently, relating to sexual comments he made and sexual messages he sent.
‘Boy racer’ killed teenage friend
A grieving Aberdeenshire family broke down in tears as a jury convicted the deadly “boy racer” who killed a teenager in a horrific car crash on the A90.
Jake Summers, 21, drove at excessive speed without due care and attention – losing control of his red Ford Fiesta and ploughing into trees at the side of the carriageway.
His 19-year-old friend Dylan Irvine suffered horrendous fatal injuries and was thrown from the mangled vehicle that landed in a field near St Fergus around 9.30pm on October 4 2020.
Summers, who’d managed to crawl for 19 metres, had to wait 10 hours overnight for help to arrive, once someone finally noticed the wreck and called emergency services.
Patient’s rant over ‘dirty shower’ with ‘faeces on the wall’
An abusive Raigmore Hospital patient’s foul-mouthed rant at a nurse was due to anger over a “dirty shower room” with “faeces on the wall”, his lawyer suggested.
James Stewart, 38, was kicked out of the healthcare facility after his unpleasant outburst around 10am on January 7 2020.
The tirade was aimed at an NHS worker who wouldn’t give him his medication early – as the inpatient had requested – without first checking with a doctor.
Stewart, whose two broken heels were being treated at the time, then began shouting and swearing at the staff nurse in Ward 3C.
Vet nurse’s dog Dinky bites child
A veterinary nurse from Fochabers has been told to control her dangerous dog Dinky, who viciously attacked a young boy playing in his garden.
Rachel Roberts, 27, has since apologised for the ordeal that the eight-year-old child suffered on July 16 last year.
He sustained bruising and swelling and even needed hospital treatment for a puncture wound, Elgin Sheriff Court was told.
Dinky – one of three Australian cattle dogs owned by the accused – was unrelenting when he bit the boy’s leg and “would not let go,” Fiscal depute Karen Poke explained.
Man, 41, in court charged over Elgin mum’s ‘murder’
A man has appeared in court charged with the murder of Kiesha Donaghy who was found dead in her Elgin home.
Owen Grant, who will turn 42 tomorrow, was arrested yesterday in connection with the death of the popular mum-of-two on Anderson Drive.
Kiesha, 32, was found dead two weeks ago on November 16 after friends raised concerns about her welfare.
It prompted a huge investigation with up to 40 police officers searching for clues.
Grant, whose general address was given as Elgin, appeared in private in Elgin Sheriff Court today charged with murdering Kiesha. He made no plea and has been remanded in custody.
Man, 65, in court after £60,000 of cannabis seized at Aberdeen train station
A man has appeared in court after police recovered a huge haul of drugs worth £60,000 at Aberdeen train station on Thursday.
Cho Wing Chan, 65, who lives in the city, was arrested and charged following the discovery.
Police Scotland had said that a man was stopped and searched around 7.40am on 30 November.
On Friday, the accused appeared in private at Aberdeen Sheriff Court, where he made no plea, was committed for further examination and released on bail.
He’s charged under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, with the Crown alleging the man to be concerned in the supplying of a drug to another.
Daughter drained £50k from elderly mum’s bank account – leaving care home fees unpaid
A disgraceful daughter helped herself to £50,000 from her ailing mum’s bank account while acting as the elderly woman’s power of attorney.
Embezzler Anne Collier, while resident at St Clair, John O’ Groats, defrauded her mother while running a dress-making and gift shop.
Collier, 65, travelled to banks in Caithness and Sutherland to abuse her position of trust after being put in charge of her poorly mum’s finances on April 4 2012.
The elderly woman’s health had started to decline due to vascular dementia, so she moved from her Cornwall home into a private care home whose services were financed by the almost £80,000 sale of her house.
Married hotel barman raped teen
A married barman who raped a teenage girl in bushes near a popular Oban music and wedding venue has been jailed.
Anouar Ben Said, 36, pounced on his 19-year-old victim after she had left a pub six hours after meeting colleagues for drinks.
The disgusting predator attacked the terrified young woman in bushes near the car park of The Corran Halls in the early hours of August 13th 2021.
A jury at the High Court in Stirling was told that the off-duty hotel worker put his hand over the victim’s mouth, removed her clothing and raped her – leaving behind his DNA.
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