Our reporters have been sitting in courtrooms across the north and north-east this week and covered a wide variety of cases.
Motorcyclist somersaulted over handlebars
A Moray motorist who caused a motorcyclist to “somersault” over the handlebars and break his hip has narrowly avoided losing her licence.
Ann Connelly pulled out onto the B9103 Milben to Rothes road in front of the motorcyclist on October 3 last year causing the man severe injuries, Elgin Sheriff Court was told.
The biker had finished work and was riding home when the collision happened.
Stalker: I’ve hacked your WhatsApp
An Aberdeen stalker claimed to have hacked into his victim’s WhatsApp account and sent her abusive messages because he couldn’t accept their relationship was over.
Former oil and gas worker Ahmed Quider, 42, sent the woman numerous messages on Viber and called her repeatedly after she broke up with him.
Quider also began turning up at the woman’s home and work “uninvited”, prompting her to call the police.
Volunteer defended use of n-word
A charity shop volunteer has apologised to a hospital worker after he hurled racist abuse while waiting to be treated for a head injury.
John Paterson made the racist comments to a member of staff at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary after he was taken there following a tumble outside a pub.
The retired 63-year-old later implied to police that he was justified in using the n-word because it “was created by Africans”.
Christmas Day in the cells
A woman who drunkenly assaulted three police officers on Christmas Day has been ordered to carry out unpaid work.
Toyin Rausch, who headbutted one officer and sunk her teeth into two others, also told a female officer: “I know where you live and your life won’t be worth living.”
Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard how the 46-year-old ended up spending Christmas Day 2020 in the cells.
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Prisoner caught with SIM just wanted to call his grieving mum
A prisoner caught with an illegal SIM card just wanted to call his mum, a court has heard.
Neil Corrigal was caught with a Vodaphone SIM card inside his Scottish Prison Service-issue mobile phone.
His solicitor told Inverness Sheriff Court he had simply wanted to make more calls to his mother following the death of his grandmother.
Aberdeen food firm boss admits cocaine charge
The boss of an Aberdeen food firm has been caught in possession of cocaine worth £700.
Jordan Clarkson, of Premier Meal Prep, was not personally present at Aberdeen Sheriff Court when the case called against him.
But the 27-year-old, whose family owns and runs a number of city pubs and restaurants including Soul, The Draft Project and Vovem, entered a guilty plea through solicitor Paul Barnett.
Speeding driver who hit 89mph ‘really needed the toilet’
An Aberdeen businessman pulled over for hitting 89mph on the A90 told police he was rushing home because he “really needed the toilet”.
Humza Malik told officers an attack of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) was the reason he was speeding along the Aberdeen to Peterhead road.
It’s a defence that was famously pioneered by former Aberdeen FC manager Sir Alex Ferguson in 1999, when he claimed severe diarrhoea was the reason he was using the hard shoulder of a motorway.
Cannabis crime gang jailed
A Lithuanian crime gang caught in a £1 million cannabis bust during police raids across Peterhead has been jailed for a total of nearly 11 years today.
Romualdas Galdikas, Arturas Litkinas, Justas Brazinskas, and Tadas Jurjonas were caught after a series of raids on addresses in Peterhead, last year.
The High Court in Stirling heard the wholesale cost of the cannabis was about £300,000, but police said that its street value would have exceeded £1 million.
Another ban for disqualified driver
An engineer who was already banned from driving has been disqualified again after he was found behind the wheel of a car.
Mark Astill, 45, was spotted by police driving the vehicle at an Aberdeen industrial estate on April 15 this year.
He was also found to have no insurance for the car.
Key clue leads to car firebug
An Aberdeen man set fire to four cars – before being caught with the keys to a stolen Land Rover hidden up his bottom.
William Dunlop snatched the silver Land Rover Freelander from a farm in Oldmeldrum before using it to transport him and two accomplices to St Clement Street in Aberdeen.
There they set fire to four vehicles belonging to a car trader, causing £7,500 worth of damage before fleeing.
Driver intimidated charity cyclists
A driver intimidated a group of charity cyclists in the Highlands because he was infuriated by how much space they were taking up on the road, a court has heard.
Iain MacDonald followed closely behind the six cyclists and blared his horn before passing them closely.
He then stopped to remonstrate with the group, shouting and swearing.
Bar rammy
A man threw a table across a city centre bar after being asked to leave because he was too drunk.
The manager of the Caledonian Bar in Inverness refused to serve Donnie Murray, 35, at around 8.30pm on July 22 last year because he was already intoxicated.
But instead of leaving he became argumentative before flinging the furniture towards the bar and then struggling with officers called in to deal with him.
Murray’s solicitor entered guilty pleas to charges of threatening and abusive behaviour and resisting, obstructing or hindering police officers in the execution of their duty at a hearing at Inverness Sheriff Court.
Solicitor Rory Gowans said Murray “wishes to apologise to all of those concerned – he was in a bad place,”.
Sheriff Ian Cruickshank fined Murray, of High Street, Inverness, £640.
Minister’s dog attacked parishioner
A church minister whose rescue dog called Faith sank its teeth into an elderly parishioner has been ordered to pay her compensation.
Rev Heidi Hercus’ “wolf-like” pet lunged for the 75-year-old woman, who was delivering a food parcel, and bit her on the body.
The Ullapool Church of Scotland minister told Inverness Sheriff Court the “awful incident” had resulted in Faith – a Sarplaninac shepherd – being rehomed.
Train assault sparked by lost luggage
A drunken offshore worker punched a train passenger in the face and demanded to know where his missing luggage was – until his stunned victim pointed it out on a nearby seat.
Gavin Low had been drinking on the journey up to Aberdeen and wrongly thought the man, who had been sitting on a luggage rack, had taken his luggage.
The 51-year-old first offender threw the man across a table, tried to choke him and repeatedly punched him in the face.
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Racist threatened to burn down takeaway
A racist man threatened to burn down an Indian takeaway and a pub – even telling the bar manager he would bite her “face off”.
Michael Masson, 27, admitted racially abusing two workers at Blue Spice takeaway in Aberdeen and also threatening the deputy manager at The Foundry Bar.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard how on March 3 this year Masson got into a heated row with a manager at The Foundry Bar when he was due a refund for £12 but claimed he was due £50.
‘Get rich quick’ cannabis scheme
A man caught with cannabis worth up to £14,000 got involved in drug dealing as a “get rich quick scheme” to buy a new car.
Ben Lyon, 23, was found with herbal cannabis worth £6,000, but with the potential to sell for between £9,500 and £14,000.
Police discovered the drugs at an address on Simpson Road in Bridge of Don in January 2020.
Teen filmed dead bodies
A drunk teenager sneaked into a funeral parlour and filmed the dead bodies before posting the sick video on social media.
The 16-year-old – who cannot be named for legal reasons – could be heard laughing in the disturbing footage, which was taken at Dunnett’s Funeral Directors in Thurso.
He pleaded guilty to a breach of the peace by letter and had sentence deferred at Wick Sheriff Court.
Woman called McDonald’s manager a d**khead
A woman who swore at a McDonald’s manager and then assaulted a police officer has been jailed for four months.
Kimberly Fraser lost her temper after a member of staff asked her to leave the Inverness city centre fast food restaurant because of her behaviour.
She also kicked and tried to bite a police officer who tried to detain her following the incident.
No death sentence for Lola
A woman whose bulldog repeatedly attacked a 14-year-old boy has been told the animal will not be destroyed.
Carol Innes, 57, appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and admitted allowing her American-English bulldog Lola to be dangerously out of control and bite the teenager on his arm and leg.
The sustained attack by the three-year-old animal resulted in the victim having to be rushed to the hospital and left him with permanent scars on his body.
Innes’ solicitor told the court that the behaviour was “out of character” for the dog.
Bounced cheques in bull sale
A north-east farmer conned out of two Aberdeen-Angus bulls and almost £7,000 said he saw “no signs” he was being embroiled in a dodgy deal.
Hamish Sclater, of Denhead of Dunlugas farm, near Turriff, was targetted by convicted fraudster Samuel Boyd and left out of pocket to the tune of £6,930 after the cheques, meant as payment for the beasts, bounced.
Now, almost four years on, Boyd has been sentenced for fraud and ordered to pay Mr Sclater £7,000 in compensation.
Inverness killer thought victims ‘had red button for atomic bomb’
An attacker who killed a neighbour and another man claims he did because they had a button for an atomic bomb.
David Sinders brutally stabbed to death Dwayne MacLeay, 28, and Gary MacKay, 35, at a flat in Inverness on May 28 2020.
The 25-year-old also knifed Kimberley Nicholson, 27, on the stomach and shoulder.
Young farmer died after trying to jump onto tractor, inquiry hears
A young Turriff farmer died after attempting to jump onto a tractor before falling and being killed, a fatal accident inquiry has been told.
Caroline Rennie was tragically killed in the accident while working in a field near Turriff on April 3 last year.
And now an inquiry into her death at Banff Sheriff Court has heard her death was caused by “multiple injuries following an incident on a farm”.
Drink-driver caught moving car off double yellow lines
A drink-driver has been disqualified and hit with a hefty fine on Friday after getting behind the wheel to move his brother’s car off double yellow lines.
Igor Caburgan was stopped by police on Crown Street in Aberdeen in the early hours of March 20.
Officers could smell alcohol on the 32-year-old, and a breath test revealed he was more than three times the legal limit.
He was also found to only hold a provisional licence and not to be insured.
Quick-thinking boss set up video sting to catch forestry gear thief
A rural thief was brought to justice thanks to an undercover sting operation organised by his victim.
Davidson Kerr-Wilson was caught on a hidden camera trying to sell more than £7,000 worth of chainsaws and accessories he’d earlier snatched from a Banff firm.
Kerr-Wilson stole the items from Robertson Forestry and Agriculture after scoping out the premises during an earlier failed job trial.
Man threatened to spit at police and claimed he had hepatitis
A serial housebreaker who threatened to spit on police and claimed he had hepatitis has been sent back to prison to serve the remaining portion of a previous sentence.
Charles Skinner, 43, was found in the home of one man who saw him shining a flashlight downstairs and another witness spotted him on his CCTV camera trying to gain entry to his home.
Upon being arrested by police, Skinner was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary (ARI) where he kicked a police officer before threatening to spit on him while claiming he had hepatitis.
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Every day our reporters are sitting in courtrooms around the area and now you can get their stories sent directly to you, five days a week.
Blood-splattered woman ran from home screaming for help
A woman tried to jump from her window and scale a fence whilst covered in blood and screaming for help following a brutal attack by her boyfriend.
Mark Ritchie repeatedly struck the woman to her head and body following a drunken argument after the pair consumed a quarter bottle of vodka and multiple sleeping tablets.
One neighbour saw the 32-year-old shouting at the woman: “I am going to kill you if you don’t come back inside.”
‘Oi, are you dead yet?’: Murder accused’s 999 call question to friend
A man accused of murdering his friend asked him “Oi, are you dead yet?” as he waited for an ambulance crew to arrive.
Jurors in the trial of Bruce Rothwell, 62, were played the recording on the opening day of the trial at the High Court in Inverness.
Rothwell denies murdering 50-year-old Thomas McTeir at his home in Barrogill Street, Wick, claiming he acted in self-defence.
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