A second man has appeared in the dock in connection with an alleged assault on a north-east sheriff.
Police arrested and charged 59-year-old Philip Mitchell on Tuesday after it was alleged he carried out an attack on Sheriff Robert McDonald as he made his way to Banff Sheriff Court.
However, another man, William Curtis, 68, has also now appeared in court charged with assault and conspiracy in connection with the incident.
The alleged assault took place in a public car park near Low Street, Banff, on Tuesday around 9.30am.
Curtis – whose address was given on court papers as Aberdeenshire – made no plea and was remanded in custody following his appearance at Aberdeen Sheriff Court yesterday afternoon.
A Police Scotland spokesman said: “Police Scotland can confirm that a second man, aged 68, has been arrested and charged in connection with an assault on a man in the Low Street area of Banff on Tuesday, 29 June.”
Mitchell, who lives in MacDuff, also made no plea during his court appearance at Aberdeen Sheriff Court on Wednesday.
He was also remanded in police custody.
Both men will be back in court within the next eight days.
A source at Banff Sheriff Court said yesterday that the “horrible” incident had shocked staff.
Sheriff McDonald, who is well-known in the region of Banff and Buchan, was appointed to serve at the town’s Sheriff Court in March 2018.
His career began in 1976 with Anderson Fyfe Stewart & Young in Glasgow and in 1980 he moved to Inverness, joining MacArthur & Co as legal assistant, before eventually becoming partner.
In 1986 he joined Munro & Noble as litigation partner before moving to Stronachs in 2002, where he is head of the dispute resolution department and client relations partner. He became a solicitor advocate in 2003.
