Our reporters have been sitting in courtrooms across the north and north-east this week and covered a wide variety of cases.
Man showed pornography to woman in street
A man who poses a sexual risk to women has been fined after he showed pornographic material to a female stranger in the street.
James Govan, 30, admitted showing the woman a pornographic video on his mobile phone as she crossed at traffic lights in Aberdeen.
The woman, who was not known to Govan, was walking alone after finishing work in the Rosemount area of the city.
Illegal puppy farmers in court
A father and son have admitted running an illegal north-east puppy farm where dozens of disease-ridden dogs were neglected and forced to live in squalor.
Samuel Ronald Hessin, 49, and Samuel Arthur Hessin, 22, posed as legitimate breeders but sold animals who were suffering the effects of mental and physical neglect.
More than 60 dogs were found at the family’s property at Balnamoon Farm, near Keith, when it was raided in a joint operation involving the Scottish SPCA, Moray Council trading standards and Police Scotland.
Teacher accused of sexual assaults
A teacher has been accused of sexually assaulting a woman in Aberdeen.
Dean Bromage, 34, is also alleged to have sexually assaulted a child and will stand trial in August at Dundee Sheriff Court.
It is alleged that on occasions between March 2008 to 2010, at West Sands Beach, St Andrews and Central Salvation Army Hall, Dundee, Bromage conducted lewd and libidinous practices and behaviour towards the girl, who at the time was over 12, but under 16.
Painkillers blamed for fake 999 calls
A man who bombarded police with fake and abusive 999 calls has blamed it on strong painkillers.
Jonathan Murray, 58, has been legally banned from making malicious calls to the emergency services but that didn’t stop him.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told he made repeated calls to report incidents of historic sexual abuse before turning abusive.
Pair in court after man seriously injured in alleged attack
Two people have appeared in court accused of a serious attack after a man was taken to hospital with severe injuries.
Jordan Argo, 23, from Aberdeen, and Leah MacKenzie, 21, from Dyce, appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court following the alleged incident on Saturday, June 4.
The pair were arrested after police responded to reports of a serious assault in the Wellheads Avenue area of Dyce at around 8.05pm.
It led to a 25-year-old man being treated at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
Man accused of attacking pig with quad bike
A man is to stand trial over allegations he repeatedly struck a pig with a quad bike and knocked it to the ground multiple times on farmland near Elgin.
Janusz Wadzinski is also accused of striking the same animal with a stick at Clackmarras Farm, near Longmorn.
The 38-year-old is alleged to have used the vehicle to repeatedly strike the pig to its back legs and knock it to the ground over and over at the pig farm on March 20, 2020.
‘Dreadful’ sex attacker’s sentence cut
A Peterhead fisherman who carried out a “dreadful” sex attack on a vulnerable woman he supplied with a potent drug has had his jail sentence cut by appeal judges.
Andrew Marsters, 48, gave his victim Etizolam before molesting her during the assault at a house in the Aberdeenshire town.
A judge who jailed him for seven years, earlier this year, told him: “This was a dreadful sexual assault.”
Lack of child payments prompted car attack
A woman who trashed her former partner’s car after finding out he was going on holiday despite owing her money for child support admitted she had “reacted poorly”.
Rachel Duncan, 23, appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and admitted to smashing the windows of her ex-partner’s vehicle after finding out he was packing to go on holiday to Turkey.
Her solicitor told the court that Duncan had “quite simply had enough”.
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Overtake goes horribly wrong
A careless driver flipped his car into a field after hitting surface water during an unsafe overtake.
Przemyslaw Fratczak’s red Renault aquaplaned before colliding with the other car and crashing off the road.
The 38-year-old has now been banned from the road and handed unpaid work following the collision on the A96 Forres to Elgin road near Alves on September 27 last year.
Man’s campaign of abuse
A man has been ordered to stay away from his ex-girlfriend after carrying out a campaign of violent abuse and telling her “I will do whatever I want”.
Scott Kinghorn, 21, appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and admitted assaulting and being abusive towards his former partner at several locations across the north-east over a four-month period.
It was stated that Kinghorn struck the woman so hard outside NOX nightclub in Aberdeen that it left substantial bruising.
He assaulted her again at a Hogmanay party by striking her neck with his hand.
Footballer was left by police near AWPR before he was hit by van
The police watchdog is investigating an accident that left a talented young footballer in a coma after it emerged officers left him close to the Aberdeen bypass shortly before he was struck by a van.
Flynn Scott, 18, is fighting for his life in hospital after being struck by a Mercedes Sprinter near the A944 Kingswells, Westhill and Alford junction of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR).
The Press and Journal has learned that Flynn was picked up by police officers in the city centre of Aberdeen and dropped off close to the bypass in the early hours of morning.
The collision with the van happened just before 2am on Sunday May 29.
School pupil on knife charge
A schoolboy has pleaded guilty to possessing a knife at an Aberdeenshire secondary school.
The youngster, who is still a pupil at the school where he committed the offence, was found with the weapon on December 14 last year.
The Press and Journal is not allowed to name the boy or the school because of reporting restrictions.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told he was 16 when the offence happened but he has since turned 17.
Drug-driver tried to pay for fuel with a scratchcard
A drugged-up driver was caught out after he tried to pay for petrol with a scratchcard.
Kevin Mallett was caught behind the wheel while unfit through cocaine and cannabis on two separate occasions on April 7 last year.
The oil worker later told his solicitor he’d consumed the drugs two days earlier during a drugs session with pals.
Dominoes disturbance
A drunk woman interrupted a domino game in an Aberdeen pub by smashing a player’s glass before later assaulting several police officers as they tried to put her in the cells.
Natalja Pavluka entered The Fountain Bar in Aberdeen after consuming one too many drinks and started bothering customers.
After being asked to leave the Great Northern Road pub, Pavluka refused and caused disruption to two gentlemen playing dominoes by starting to drink one of the player’s beers.
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Rapist fled to France
A sex attacker who went on the run for eight years after raping a teenage girl outside an Aberdeen nightclub has finally been brought to justice.
Remus Covaciu had started a new life in France with a partner and two children when the authorities finally caught up with him.
He had been due to stand trial for the attack in November 2013 but failed to show up and fled the country.
Hoax caller in the dock
A man who denied making repeated hoax calls to the police was snared when officers turned up at his home and simply rang his telephone.
Darren Cran, 29, hadn’t counted on police arriving at his door and ringing the number that had been used to make dozens of abusive and sexual calls to 999 call handlers.
Upon being arrested by cops, he told them: “If I had a knife I would go through your f**king heart”.
Terrorism accused has Asperger’s Syndrome
An Aberdeen man standing trial on terrorism charges who allegedly possessed a “homemade explosive substance” has been diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome.
Jurors were told during proceedings at the High Court in Edinburgh on Thursday how Richard Smith, 29, has an “autism spectrum disorder”.
The jury learned of Smith’s condition after prosecutor Liam Ewing QC and defence lawyers agreed a statement of uncontroversial evidence.
Woman had crack in her system
A woman who was stopped by police because her car had no lights on was later found to have nearly four times the limit of a crack cocaine metabolite in her system.
Louise Slater, 38, was pulled over by officers on Aberdeen’s Beach Esplanade after officers spotted her vehicle weaving across the road and veering into the oncoming lane.
She also hadn’t turned on the headlights, despite it being dark.
Amazon delivery driver’s racist threats
An Amazon delivery driver has admitted sending racist and threatening text messages in which he spoke of shooting Muslims, who he believed were going to “take over”.
Nicholas Bain called Muslims “suspicious bigots” and said he would use his Amazon delivery driver pass to “get close to the target”.
The 38-year-old, from Aberdeen, also outlined a bizarre plan to run for Mayor of London.
Man accused of threatening Nicola Sturgeon
A pensioner accused of threatening Nicola Sturgeon and assaulting a sheriff could be made to have a lawyer for his trial.
William Curtis was back at the High Court in Glasgow, where he once again was representing himself.
It is claimed the 69-year-old sent emails and posted social media messages making “threatening remarks” to the First Minister between February 27 and March 6 2019.
It is said this would likely have caused “fear and alarm”.
Park rapist behind bars
A school worker raped a terrified woman as she returned home from a night out.
Jeffery Oviasogie pounced on the 29-year-old stranger in Bon Accord Terrace Gardens in Aberdeen in the early hours of September 26 last year.
The 20-year-old then left his weeping victim curled up on the ground – but was soon recognised due to his distinctive baseball cap.
‘You’re not a very good drug dealer’
A repeat drug trafficker who was caught with cocaine and cannabis worth more than £140,000 on the streets was told today by a judge to consider a career change.
Lord Mulholland said that Anthony Newman had admitted two “very serious charges” of being concerned in the supply of the drugs when he appeared before him at the High Court in Edinburgh.
The judge told him: “You really should think about a change of occupation because you are not very good at it. You keep getting caught.”
Woman slumped behind wheel outside Greggs
A 22-year-old has had her car seized after she was found slumped inside it near an Aberdeen Greggs while almost six times the drink-drive limit.
A concerned employee at the Bridge of Don bakery called the police after seeing Skye Murray flopped over the wheel of the running vehicle in the car park.
She was discovered by officers with an empty bottle of wine in the footwell and smelling strongly of alcohol.
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