Our reporters have been sitting in courtrooms across the north and north-east this week and covered a wide variety of cases.
Man convicted of sex assaults on three Aberdeen girls
A man has been found guilty of sexually assaulting three girls in Aberdeen.
David Drever, 38, was convicted following a trial at Aberdeen Sheriff Court of six charges of assaulting the children over a six-year period when they were between six and 15 years of age.
The majority of assaults occurred at an address in the city, however, one charge relates to a sexual assault that took place at Aberdeen Beach Leisure Centre.
Knife-wielding home invader was overpowered by father and son
A brave father and son tackled a masked intruder who entered their home while clutching a knife, a court has heard.
Scot Murray, 26, appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court where he admitted breaking into the home of a 69-year-old couple in Portlethen in order to steal their car keys.
When the couple saw him standing in the doorway, Murray approached them as he removed a knife from its sheath.
Jailed sextortionist preyed on victims worldwide including in Aberdeen
A predator who blackmailed women and young girls around the world, including Aberdeen, after tricking them into carrying out sex acts has been jailed.
Anthony “Danny” Burns, previously of Colville, Lowestoft, Suffolk, was locked up for 24 years last Friday after committing dozens of blackmail and online sex offences.
The 39-year-old was described by the National Crime Agency (NCA) as a “pupil” of one of the most dangerous sexual predators ever investigated by Britain’s equivalent to the FBI.
Man ‘cowered’ from blows during Alness High Street attack
A pair who launched a violent attack on a man in Alness as he ‘cowered’ from their blows have admitted the crime.
Charlene Seel and Lewis McKay crossed the road to assault their victim, who had been drinking on a public bench in Alness’ High Street.
The victim was repeatedly punched and knocked to the ground, where he was further punched and kicked to his injury, while his attackers made off, one of them grabbing his jacket and beers as they left.
Paedophile told girl, 14, to skip school then sexually assaulted her
A Peterhead man has been jailed after admitting he sexually assaulted a teenage girl almost two years ago.
The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was 14 years old at the time of the incident.
James Stewart, 36, admitted the sex attack, which happened in June 2022, and a further charge of possessing indecent photographs – some of which were in the most serious category.
Disgraced Aberdeen fashion shop boss jailed after raping woman
A disgraced Aberdeen businessman who raped a woman and claimed the attack was a “bit of role play” has been jailed for six years.
Ryan Steehouder, 33, preyed on the female and subjected her to repeated physical and sexual abuse in the Aberdeen area between May 2011 and April 2015.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard evidence from Steehouder’s victim – who cannot be named for legal reasons.
She told jurors of one attack in which he subjected to her a rape, which he claimed was “role play”.
Man placed on register after groping woman in Aberdeen pub
A man has been placed on the sex offenders register after grabbing a woman’s bottom in an Aberdeen city centre pub.
Peter Duncan seized and squeezed his victim’s right buttock without warning in Slain’s Castle on Belmont Street.
The stunned woman “froze in shock” and was left “extremely upset” after the incident.
Angry man told neighbours: ‘I’ll kill everyone, it’s game over’
An angry man told neighbours at his Inverness block of flats that he would “kill everyone” adding: “It’s game over.”
Ground floor resident Raymond Marshall kicked doors and threatened to stab other residents at the Riverview, before stalking up and down the communal stairwell hitting the railings with an object as he went.
Some residents retreated inside their homes and locked their doors, while others found the path to their property blocked by Marshall, who shouted, swore and acted aggressively towards them.
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Aberdeen drink-driver fined over New Year’s Day roundabout crash
A drink-driver has been banned from the road following a terrifying crash on Mounthooly roundabout in Aberdeen in the early hours of New Year’s Day.
Ines Mendonca was almost three-and-a-half times the alcohol limit when she ploughed her blue Renault Clio into railings on the roundabout.
Mendonca’s car was left a mangled wreck and debris was strewn across the road and the pavement after the 3.30am crash earlier this month.
Mum’s fury over sentence of Aberdeen man after child suffers cigarette burn
A mum has spoken of her fury as a man was handed unpaid work after her young son suffered a cigarette burn while in his care.
Christopher Wrench was found guilty of child neglect following a trial at Aberdeen Sheriff Court last month.
The 36-year-old was in charge of the boy’s care when the youngster suffered a small, circular injury to his cheek.
He was later taken to hospital by someone else who spotted the mark and was concerned.
Missing care home girl found hiding in man’s bedroom
A girl who had gone missing from a children’s care unit was discovered hiding in the bedroom of an Inverness man, a court has been told.
Staff at the unit had reported the girl as missing but were able to work out who she was with as a result of Snapchat messages she had sent.
Police were informed and officers visited the Inverness home of 22-year-old Stephen Dick, where the girl was found.
Dingwall drink-driver blamed puddle for crash outside hospital
A driver who crashed his car outside a Highland hospital was over the drink-drive limit, a court has heard.
Andrew Emerson had two passengers in the car when he lost control of his Astra on Ferry Road in Dingwall, leaving the road and hitting residential fences near Ross Memorial Hospital.
When police arrived he told them he had hit a puddle, which had caused the accident, but a roadside breath test showed him to be over the drink-drive limit.
Student who smashed into Union Square using beer keg has no recollection of doing it
A student who rammed through an Aberdeen shopping centre glass door with a beer keg claims he can’t remember the incident.
Glen Barclay, 25, was found wandering topless and shoeless around Union Square shopping mall by security guards – later telling police he “must’ve blacked out”.
He’d broken in to the city shopping centre in the early hours of the morning by throwing a beer keg through a plate glass door, causing £7,000 worth of damage, Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard.
Former Trump golf resort worker caught drink-driving after casino trip
A former worker at Donald Trump’s Aberdeenshire golf resort was caught drink-driving after a trip to the casino.
Obumneke Ufomadu was pulled over on King Street in Aberdeen and found to be more than double the legal alcohol limit.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard the 32-year-old had thought he would be fit to drive, despite having been drinking in a casino in the city, but got the decision “badly wrong”.
Fiscal depute Stephanie Cardow said the incident happened around 5am on December 23.
Man fined over ‘methodical’ campaign of abuse against love rival
A man has been fined £400 after admitting a “methodical” campaign of abuse against someone he believed to be seeing his now ex-girlfriend.
Matthew O’Neill, 24, was also accused of having a bladed weapon – a scythe – in a public place, but this was dropped.
Appearing in Banff Sheriff Court, O’Neill admitted threatening and abusive behaviour on 26 and 27 December 2022 directed towards the man from Turriff.
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Every day our reporters are sitting in courtrooms around the area and now you can get their stories sent directly to you, five days a week.
Drunk sexually assaulted child making TikTok in Aberdeen
A drunk man sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl who was filming a TikTok video in an Aberdeen shopping centre.
Martin Forgie was intoxicated in the St Nicholas Centre when he was approached by two 13-year-old girls who started chatting with him.
The children then made a video of themselves for popular social media app TikTok, with the 35-year-old in the background.
Tillydrone murder accused’s second court appearance
A man has reappeared in court charged with the murder of Jamie Forbes, whose body was discovered at the bottom of an Aberdeen high-rise.
Lee Smith, 37, made his second appearance in private at Aberdeen Sheriff Court today when he was fully committed and remanded in custody.
Smith, from the Aberdeen area, previously made no plea to the single charge of murder when he first attended court eight days ago.
Oil worker fined over vile homophobic abuse towards police officers
A clubber who hurled homophobic abuse at police after being thrown out of an Aberdeen nightspot has been fined.
Offshore worker Sean Niven appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court where he admitted making threats of violence and and using anti-gay slurs towards officers outside Prohibition nightclub.
As he was led to a police van, the 35-year-old was heard telling an officer: “Better get your boss because I’m away to kick f*** out of you.”
Double rapist behind bars after attacking woman near Inverurie
A man who asked a hungover woman whether she remembered having sex has been convicted of raping the vulnerable victim while she was intoxicated.
Double rapist Daniel Robertson carried out the sex attack after the woman had returned home following a night out at the pub, drinking with friends.
The woman told the High Court in Edinburgh she had no recollection of anything from being in the pub to waking up the next day.
Woman tries to call 500 defence witnesses in trial
A woman who tried to cite 500 defence witnesses, including sheriffs and the chief constable, has been found guilty of threatening to torch dog kennels.
Kimberly Baff represented herself during a five-day trial at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.
The 35-year-old, of Jute Street, Aberdeen, had denied a charge of resisting, obstructing or hindering police by tensing her arms, clenching her fists, raising her arms in a bid to avoid arrest and struggling with officers.
Aberdeen man caught with £1m of cocaine ‘was just holding on to it for a friend’
An Aberdeen drug trafficker who was caught with £1 million of cocaine claims he was just holding it for a friend.
Jason Henderson told officers that the Class A drugs were due to be passed on to someone else the day after he was arrested.
Henderson, 31, was arrested on November 14 last year in Aberdeen after police received intelligence that he was involved in the supply of illicit drugs.
Careless driver caused serious crash as he checked on choking toddler
A driver who strayed over the centre line and caused a serious crash on the A86 was checking on his toddler son at the time, a court has heard.
Ewen Jamieson had been driving with his sleeping wife and child in the rear of his blue Audi when he thought he heard the child choking and turned to check.
But as he did so his car crossed into the opposite carriageway, colliding with an oncoming Citroen, and flipped both vehicles.
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