A woman “thrust” a pet ferret at her ex-boyfriend after walking into his home uninvited in the middle of the night.
Toni Ramsden went round to her former partner’s place in Turriff, clutching a five-month-old ferret and shouting.
The once-happy but now separated couple had bred ferrets as a hobby during their five-month relationship, and the 44-year-old was returning the last one.
Ramsden found her ex sitting on the living room sofa with his new girlfriend, at the man’s property in St Congans Crescent, Turriff, at 1.30am on May 28 this year.
But when the man heard the animal “making a noise” he became “concerned for its safety” and stood up, before Ramsden “thrust” the ferret at him.
‘She lunged towards him’
Fiscal depute Ellen Barr told Banff Sheriff Court that Ramsden was “rambling incoherently”.
She explained that the pair’s relationship had ended earlier that month and the accused entered the St Congans Crescent home uninvited, carrying the pet in one arm.
“She was holding a five-month-old ferret that she and the complainer had previously bred together.
“The complainer heard the animal making a noise and was concerned for its safety.
“He walked towards the accused and asked her to hand over the animal but she refused and continued shouting.
“He tried to take the ferret from the accused’s hand and she lunged towards him and scratched him on the neck,” the fiscal added.
The man suffered scratches to his neck but didn’t require treatment and his new girlfriend rang the police.
When officers apprehended Ramsden, she immediately said: “This will be to do with me scratching his neck, isn’t it?”
She later pled guilty to an assault to injury charge.
‘Inopportune time of day’
Defence agent Debbie Wilson told the court that her client now accepts it wasn’t the best time of day to visit her ex.
She said Ramsden, a full-time carer for a relative, had gone around to return the ferret after the couple had previously taken to breeding them as a hobby.
However, she became frightened when the 6ft 7in man got off the sofa and stepped towards her, the defence solicitor said.
“She accepts it was an inopportune time of day to go around,” Ms Wilson said.
She added: “He has started keeping ferrets. Some were around at her home and on this occasion, she had wanted to return the final ferret and collect her own belongings from his house.
“She has a ferret in one hand and thrust it at him. He jumped up from the couch. He is about 6 ft 7in. He is quite tall and that frightened her.
“She thrust the ferret in one hand and scratched his neck with the other. He got the ferret but she didn’t get any of her stuff from the house.”
The court heard that Ramsden initially thought her reaction was “proportionate” but now “she regrets that”.
‘Daft idea’
Sheriff Robert McDonald told Ramsden that her behaviour had been “daft”.
He said: “I think you will realise that what brought you here is a completely daft idea that you had in your head that it was appropriate to go round at 1.30am to try to sort out remaining grievances with your ex.
“That’s why you ended up here today.”
He ordered Ramsden, of Ardinn Road, Turriff, to be of good behaviour for six months and deferred sentence until next May.
The sheriff added: “If you are of good behaviour during that period, I intend to admonish you.
“I would hope that being through the court process is enough of a reminder that you shouldn’t act in this way.”
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