Wednesday courts round-up – the Snapchat sex attacker

Good evening – here are the stories that caught the attention of our reporters today.

Man accused of fatal police chase tragedy

A man has appeared in court charged with causing the death of a pedestrian in a hit-and-run while being pursued by the police.

A 48-year-old man was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary in a serious condition after he was knocked down on Great Northern Road on Monday, August 16.

He died on Saturday, September 11, police have confirmed.

Now, Shaun Rimmer, 28, has appeared in private at Aberdeen Sheriff Court facing a string of charges, including causing death by dangerous driving.

‘Covid’ cougher’s threat to Lidl boss

A yob taunted a Lidl store manager, telling him he now had Covid, after coughing into his hand and flicking it towards his face.

Irek Witkowski had been escorted into the staff canteen at Lidl on King Street after staff suspected he had been shoplifting.

The 44-year-old told staff he had coronavirus, after breaking a door handle in a bid to escape, coughed into his hand and flicked it towards the store manager’s face.

Witkowski then taunted that the man now had Covid.

Rapist targeted stranger

A predator who raped a teenage stranger after she offered to show him the way to an address was jailed for seven years today.

Graham Shepherd, 32, launched a sex attack on the girl after encountering her in the early hours of the morning in Kirkwall, in Orkney.

A judge told Shepherd: “You have been convicted of the rape of a young girl, a stranger to you, which was no doubt a horrific experience for her.”

Lady Haldane said at the High Court in Edinburgh that there was no alternative to the imposition of a lengthy period in custody for the offence.

Pair in court on drugs charge

A man and a woman appeared in private at Inverness Sheriff Court today on charges of being concerned in the supply of drugs.

Natalia Groblicka, 23, and Michal Wittbrodt, 33, both from Inverness, made no plea, were committed for further examination and released on bail.

The Snapchat sex attacker

A supermarket worker who befriended teen girls on Snapchat and gave them lifts in his car before groping them and forcing them to touch his genitals has been found guilty of two counts of sexual assault.

Nathan Ross, 22, had denied both the charges, one of which related to a child aged between 13 and 16, and went on trial at Inverness Sheriff Court.

The court heard that in 2019 Ross had used Snapchat’s automated “quick add” feature to connect with people he did not know personally and had then started communicating with the teens.

Both victims gave evidence from behind privacy screens and told the court that their first contact with Ross was via the social media app.

For all the latest court cases in Aberdeen, as well as the latest crime and breaking incidents, join our new Facebook group HERE.