Our reporters have been sitting in courtrooms across the north and north-east this week and covered a wide variety of cases.
Aberdeen man turned bedroom into mini cannabis factory
An Aberdeen man who allowed his bedroom to be used as a mini cannabis factory claims he did it to pay off debts he’d built up to pay for his partner’s funeral.
Andrew Allan said he borrowed money from some unsavoury characters in a bid to fund his beloved partner’s funeral when she passed away last year.
But the debts built up and the 58-year-old ended up allowing those he owed money to to use his flat on Powis Place to grow cannabis.
Bumbling Aberdeen dealer caught after cannabis kitchen fire
A bumbling Aberdeen drug dealer was caught after setting fire to his kitchen while trying to cook up cannabis.
Jon Green, 44, was hospitalised with burns to his nose and arm as a result of the blaze at the flat at Denwood, in the Woodend area of Aberdeen.
When firefighters arrived to extinguish the flames, they noticed a strong smell of cannabis and notified the police.
Peterhead woman who scammed pals out of thousands for dream wedding ordered to pay it back
A Peterhead woman has been ordered to pay compensation to a group of former friends who she scammed out of £7,000 by pretending to book flights and hotels to a dream wedding in Thailand.
Natalie Green, 41, took it upon herself to arrange travel and accommodation for her pals so they could attend best friend Elaine Walker’s nuptials in Asia – but it was all a lie.
The shameless fraudster only confessed to her cruel con two days before the group were due to jet off, leaving the bride-to-be and guests devastated.
Aberdeen nan’s ‘proceeds of crime’ home contains unsafe concrete
The value of a house allegedly purchased by a crooked Aberdeen granny using her ill-gotten gains could be impacted by the discovery of unsafe concrete, a court has been told.
Prosecutors are trying to claw back some of Coleen Muirhead’s £1.5 million fortune that the scrap metal merchant employee embezzled from her bosses at Panda Rosa Metals.
But lawyers acting for the 56-year-old told a proceeds of crime hearing today they’re probing whether the property is now worth less because of the recent find.
Paedophile found with images of children in 32 separate online folders
An Aberdeen paedophile has avoided a prison sentence after he was found with images of children involved in sadomasochistic activity.
David Jeffrey, 72, appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court where he admitted being found in possession of dozens of folders packed with hundreds of child abuse images on a USB stick found at his home.
It was stated that the images featured boys and girls as young as three years old taking part in erotic posing and sadomasochistic activity.
Armed robber lunged at Aberdeen shop assistant with scissors
An Aberdeen armed robber has been jailed for attacking one shopkeeper with a pair of scissors and using a fork against another.
Mark Hall first robbed Seaton Convenience Store on School Road, lunging at a member of staff with a pair of scissors after complaining the shop was late opening.
Then in a second unrelated incident months later, the 24-year-old armed himself with a fork and attended the News ‘n’ Chews store on Bridge Street where he struggled with and assaulted the shop worker.
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OAP avoids jail after admitting killing pensioner in crash
A Peterhead pensioner has been handed community service and a driving ban after admitting killing another OAP in a crash almost three years ago.
Peter Drummond, 77, appeared at Peterhead Sheriff Court to be sentenced after pleading guilty to one charge of dangerous driving and another of death by careless driving.
Drummond swerved his silver Kia Sportage onto the path of Macduff pensioner Stanley Morrison’s car on May 14 2021.
Sadly, Mr Morrison, 83, suffered severe injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Former Aberdeen auxiliary nurse who poisoned child jailed for seven years
A former Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital auxiliary nurse who deliberately and repeatedly poisoned a young child for several years has been jailed for seven years.
Tracy Menhinick, 52, gave the boy “industrial amounts” of the laxative lactulose, leading to his stunted growth and hospitalisation.
One expert witness previously told the High Court in Aberdeen that the victim resembled a survivor from a Nazi concentration camp as a result.
It’s understood that, although the boy has since recovered, he is now permanently disfigured.
‘Where I come from we kill police’: Aberdeen man’s chilling warning
An Aberdeen man threatened police officers during a heated altercation by warning they kill cops in his native Zimbabwe.
Leroy Miller made the disturbing comment during an altercation with police who attended following a row between him and his partner.
The 39-year-old was asked to leave the address and initially did before becoming aggressive when he was prevented from re-entering.
Jail warning for Highland teen who drove over man’s legs in Transit van
A teen motorist has been warned prison is not off the table as he admitted driving over a man’s legs twice in a Transit van.
Robert McLaren took off at speed, dragging his passenger, who was still holding on to the door handle, along the road for 50 metres.
McLaren ignored George Williamson’s screams to stop as the van ran over his right leg, Inverness Sheriff Court was told.
The 19-year-old then turned the vehicle around and ran over both of Mr Williamson’s ankles.
Drug-fuelled criminals jailed for George Street assault that used car as a weapon
Two men who took part in a broad daylight attack using a car as a weapon were each jailed for six years today.
Jeffrey Binnie, 30, and William Hanratty, 41, were both also banned from driving for 15 years after a judge told them a motor vehicle was used as “an intrinsic part of the offence”.
The pair assaulted Garry Black at George Street, in Aberdeen, on February 27 last year and twice struck him with the car driven by Binnie during that attack.
Sheriff slams ‘young and naive’ football fans as Aberdeen teen appears in court over pyro find
A sheriff has slammed “young and naive” football fans who take pyrotechnics to games after an Aberdeen teenager was caught with flares and smoke grenades before a Dundee match.
The 17-year-old was travelling on a Megabus to attend Dundee’s Scottish Premiership clash with Aberdeen on March 13.
Dundee Sheriff Court heard how the teenager, who cannot be named due to his age, was part of a group from the north-east who had made their way to Seagate Bus Station, where the discovery was made.
Suspected drug dealer smashed phone on ground when it started ringing while talking to police
Police officers became suspicious that the man they were speaking to was a drug dealer when his phone started ringing and he immediately smashed it on the ground.
Officers were in the middle of questioning Stuart Johnstone about an incident in Alness when his dramatic reaction to a simple phone call raised eyebrows.
That prompted them to seize the mobile and get a search warrant for Johnstone’s Easter Ross home – which ultimately resulted in a fruitful drugs raid.
Moray pensioner jailed for historic child sex abuse
An 81-year-old man who molested children in Wester Ross and Moray in the 1970s and 1980s has been jailed for four years.
Alexander Florence had denied targeting two girls aged between 5 and 11 as well as indecently assaulting one of them when she was 16.
But a jury at Inverness Sheriff Court last month took around an hour to convict the widower from Fochabers of three offences.
The trial heard he intimately touched and sexually abused them between 1974 and 1981.
Highland teen tried to make a run for it after being sentenced to detention
A Highland teenager who tried to flee a court after receiving a 15-month-long custodial sentence has been given the chance of escaping a further sentence behind bars.
Grant McPhee, from Fort William, appeared by video link from Polmont Young Offender’s Institution for sentencing by Sheriff Sara Matheson.
He had previously admitted threatening behaviour by throwing his bag out of the dock at Inverness Sheriff Court after Sheriff Robert Frazer had sent him to detention.
Drink-driver jailed over hit-and-run death of Argyll grandfather
A drink-driver who killed an Argyll pedestrian and fled 65 miles from the scene with a broken windscreen has been jailed for six years.
Robert Brown, 27, collided with Jimmy Harris, 61, near the village of Taynuilt, near Oban, on October 10 2021.
The High Court in Glasgow heard how Brown left him for dead and drove to Dumbarton, later telling police he thought he hit a deer. He was three times the drink-driving limit.
Drug-dealing Fraserburgh mum jailed for causing baby son’s death
A drug-dealing mum from Fraserburgh whose baby son died after ingesting a narcotic at her home was jailed for seven years today.
Amy Beck was convicted of exposing three-month-old Olly-James Sievewright to mephedrone, known as M-cat, and MDMA which is commonly known as ecstasy.
The baby boy died on December 22 2019 as a result of ingesting M-cat combined with the effects of a peritonitis infection the child was suffering.
Aberdeen charity worker avoids jail after punching man at bus station
A charity worker who punched a man at Aberdeen bus station has been fined and warned he should not resort to violence in the future.
William Scougall, 45, pled guilty to punching his victim while working for an organisation that tries to keep former prisoners on the straight and narrow.
The court heard how Scougall believed the man had stolen a mobile one from one of his fellow charity workers.
Fiscal Andrew McMann said Scougall had a “known association” with his victim.
Man jailed for 11 years after being convicted of rapes in Shetland and Orkney
A former Shetland man has been jailed for 11 years after being convicted of the “abhorrent” rapes of two women.
Sean Casey, 69, was found guilty of three charges of rape and one of indecent assault at a seven-day trial at Aberdeen High Court last month.
Appearing by way of a video link from prison, Casey spoke only to confirm his name.
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Robber pretended he had gun during Aberdeen petrol station hold-up
An Aberdeen robber surrendered to police shortly after committing a terrifying petrol station raid which saw him get away with a quantity of energy drinks, a court has heard.
Robert Livingstone, 27, left the shop worker in “shock and fear” after pointing what looked to be a gun at him at the BP filling station in King Street in Aberdeen, on June 29 2023.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard how the 29-year-old worker managed to press a panic button before running into a back office.
Aberdeen DJ jailed after jury finds him guilty of raping student
An Aberdeen DJ has been jailed after being found guilty of raping a student almost 10 years ago.
Alisdair Randalls, who has performed as DJ Ali Randalls, was convicted after a trial at the High Court in Aberdeen.
The jury of eight women and seven men found the 30-year-old not guilty by majority of the second charge of raping another woman in 2019.
US tourist denies causing crash that killed Highland toddler and his grandparents
An American tourist has denied killing a toddler and his grandparents by driving dangerously on the A9 near Carrbridge.
Paul Gillcrist, of North Carolina, pled not guilty at the High Court in Glasgow today, with a trial date fixed for next January at the High Court in Inverness.
The 68-year-old allegedly took the lives of Inverness couple David McPherson, 58, Elza McPherson, 54, and their two-year-old grandson Harris Cochrane near the Slochd summit on July 5 2022.
‘This is a miscarriage of justice!’: Woman who tried to cite 500 witnesses sentenced
A woman who tried to call 500 defence witnesses, including sheriffs and the chief constable, has branded her case a “miscarriage of justice” as she was ordered to do unpaid work.
Kimberly Baff clashed with various court officials during a fiery five-day trial at Aberdeen Sheriff Court, following which she was found guilty of threatening to torch dog kennels.
The 35-year-old repeatedly raised her voice and interrupted fiscal depute Andrew McMann and Sheriff David Clapham, at one point forcing the exasperated sheriff to adjourn.
Aberdeen hidden camera voyeur ordered to pay victim compensation
An Aberdeen pervert who set up a hidden camera to record a colleague getting changed has been ordered to pay his victim compensation.
Michael Strachan was caught out when the woman spotted his concealed iPhone recording her at Parcelforce Worldwide facility on Wellington Circle.
The shocked woman picked up the phone and, watching the video back, saw that it also recorded Strachan setting up the device.
Strachan, 64, of Deansloch Terrace, Aberdeen, previously pled guilty to a charge of voyeurism.
Aberdeen bus driver jailed for assaulting and running over pensioner
An Aberdeen bus driver has been jailed after assaulting and then running over an elderly passenger.
Allan Thomson pushed and dragged 74-year-old Michael McFadyen off his bus before running him over as he drove away.
Mr McFadyen suffered “catastrophic” injuries in the shocking incident and had to have his leg amputated below the knee.
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