A man who abducted a 13-year-old boy who had been causing trouble in the neighbourhood has been reprimanded for “taking the law into his own hands”.
John Robertson, 44, appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court where he admitted trapping the young teen in the back of his car before driving him to his home in a “frightening” series of events.
It was stated that Roberston threatened to break the teenager’s legs before his own family pleaded with him to let the child go.
The teenager later told police he was scared that Robertson was about to kill him.
Robertson’s solicitor, Iain Hingston, described his client as “a good man” who had acted in an “extremely foolish” manner.
Man dragged teenager into car
Fiscal depute David Roger told the court that on the afternoon of February 22 last year the boy and his friends had been causing a disturbance by making a noise on Aberdeen’s Cornhill Drive but that they stopped shouting when asked to do so by a neighbour.
A short time later, however, Robertson sped up to the group in his car, before getting out and running towards them.
The group ran away with the boy running up a driveway to escape Robertson, who got back into his car to follow the teenager.
The fiscal depute said: “Once he had caught up with him, the accused got out of his car and approached the complainer.
“He grabbed the complainer and tried to force him into the back seat of his car.
“The complainer resisted and there was a struggle, during which the accused repeatedly pushed him on the body, thereby forcing him into the back of the car.
“The accused’s actions caused the complainer to strike his head on the door frame as he was pushed into the vehicle.
“The accused also grabbed the complainer by the face and shouted and swore at him.”
As Robertson drove off, the teenager tried to open the back doors but found they were locked.
Family pleaded with accused to let boy go
Robertson drove to his own house and got out but told the teenager to stay in the car or he would “break his legs”.
He returned moments later and dragged the boy from the car and pulled him up towards the front door of the house.
Robertson seized the teenager by the neck and held him up against the wall before members of the 44-year-old’s family managed to persuade him to let the boy go.
The teen told police that after he left he felt “sick and dizzy” and that his head was “sore”.
He added: “I was pretty scared when I was in the car. He looked like he was away to kill me. I was really panicking.”
Police arrested Roberston who admitted what he’d done during a police interview.
In the dock, Robertson pleaded guilty to one charge of abduction and assault.
‘Very wrong indeed’
Defence solicitor Iain Hingston described his client’s behaviour on the day in question as “unedifying” and “extremely foolish”.
“A number of individuals had been causing trouble around the area for some time and Mr Robertson’s neighbour was terminally ill,” the lawyer said.
“There was an ongoing situation in the street and fingers were pointed towards the complainer.
“Mr Robertson then took the decision to carry out what’s been described.
“He felt a number of individuals were taking liberties in the area.
“My client is a good man and he accepts that this behaviour would have been extremely frightening for the young man.”
Sheriff Graham Buchanan reprimanded Robertson for “taking the concerted decision to take the law into his own hands”.
He added: “You may have felt justified and felt that it was the way to deal with this issue, but you are severely mistaken, and you are now facing the possibility of a prison sentence.”
However, the sheriff added that he was satisfied that Robertson was “genuinely remorseful” and now understood that what he did was “very wrong indeed”.
Sheriff Buchanan made Robertson, of Cornhill Drive, subject to a community payback order with supervision for 12 months and ordered him to carry out 210 hours of unpaid work.
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