A sheriff has warned two men they could be locked up for slaughtering a family’s cherished pets.
Jordan McIsaac, 18, and Daniel Innes, 20, appeared at Banff Sheriff Court yesterday for sentencing.
The pair previously admitted breaking doors, walls and furniture at an Aberchirder home before killing their pal’s two geckos.
One of the lizards was dropped to the floor and died, while the other was stuffed into a food processor.
But yesterday, the court heard they could not be sentenced as there had been a delay in preparing background reports on Innes, of Rose Cottage, Cornhill.
Sheriff Philip Mann has now warned the two that a custodial sentence could be possible.
In calling for supplementary reports on how suitable it would be to lock the pair up, he added: “I would want a custodial assessment – because of the seriousness of this offence.”
The pets belonged to Amanda Bibby, 33, and her two children.
She has said that her life has been “blighted” by the incident on March 5 last year.
Miss Bibby had taken her daughter, Alisha, to stay overnight at a friend’s home in Ballater.
When she returned, she said she had to clean up the devastation.
“It was horrendous,” she said.
“Alisha is heartbroken. All our lives have been blighted by Innes and McIsaac.
“There were cups, plates, bulbs and glasses all broken and stood into my laminated flooring and drinks spilled everywhere.
“Photo frames were smashed, my laptop was in pieces. Family pictures are lost.”
McIsaac and Innes, of Brands Butt in Inverurie, will return to court on July 11.
