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Man who killed family’s pet gecko charged after lying about his job

Daniel Innes, left, and Jordan McIsaac have been locked up.
Daniel Innes, left, and Jordan McIsaac have been locked up.

A man who shredded a gecko in a blender and then lied about his job to avoid having to miss nights out has been told that he will not be spared punishment.

Jordan McIsaac, 18, and his friend Daniel Innes, 20, trashed an Aberchirder home and killed a family’s two pet lizards in a drink-fuelled rampage last year.

One of the animals was dropped on the floor, where it died, and the other was filmed by the duo being shredded in a blender.

United against cruelty: Animal charities hit out at gecko killers’ sentence

At a sentencing hearing last fortnight, a decision on their punishment was deferred for three months so that they could demonstrate remorse and good behaviour within the community.

But the pair were hauled back to Banff Sheriff Court yesterday after the Crown was tipped off that McIsaac, of Mid Street, Cornhill, had been lying about his employment to avoid an early curfew.

Sheriff Philip Mann had originally handed both men relaxed curfews of 10pm to 5am.

This followed McIsaac’s suggestion to his solicitor that he needed to leave for work early and work late into the evening.

It was only after staff at Portsoy-based Turfleys Scotland, where he claimed to be working as a gardener, announced they had sacked him last year that McIsaac was caught out.

Yesterday, Sheriff Mann said he was “satisfied” that the one-time gardener had tried to deceive the court and charged him with contempt.

Gecko killer to go back to court over job lie

The sheriff, who has served on the bench for 11 years, even took the unusual step of printing all of the comments he had made for the press to use.

He also reverted the men’s curfews to its original period – between the hours of 7pm and 7am – and called for fresh reports on their backgrounds.

Sheriff Mann said there had been an “impression” created that both men would “get off with little more than a telling off”.

“I need to make sure that you understand that impression does not reflect the reality of your situation,” he said.

“There is an understandable sentiment that for this sickening crime I should simply lock you up and throw away the key.

“I realise and accept that nothing I have said, or can say, will bring any comfort to the animals’ owners. I have absolutely no criticism to make of them for their expressions of horror and concern that you might not be sent to custody. All I have for them is sympathy and sorrow for what they have had to endure because of you.

“You deserve public condemnation and denunciation and I have no quibble with that whatsoever. But I do quibble with the notion that you are likely to be let off the hook for your sickening crime. That is certainly not going to happen.”

Both McIsaac and Innes will be called back to court on October 17 for sentencing.

It had been previously suggested by Sheriff Mann that they should approach the Scottish SPCA to apologise for their actions and ask if it had any way of helping them make amends.

The charity has since said it would not be willing to allow either of the men to work alongside animals, however.

Mike Flynn, the Scottish SPCA’s chief superintendent, said: “We are pleased to see that McIsaac and Innes have been dealt with by the court.

“Due to the horrific nature of their crime, it would not be appropriate for them to volunteer with the society.”

And Keith Marley, owner of the New Arc in Ellon, which cares for injured animals across Aberdeenshire, added: “The same goes here – I wouldn’t let them near the place.”

The animals’ owner, Amanda Bibby, has called for the men to be caged.

The 33-year-old had been on a caravan trip with her daughter on the date of the incident.

“This is how killers start, the manner in which the geckos were killed is beyond sick,” the mother-of-two said.