Our reporters have been sitting in courtrooms across the north and north-east this week and covered a wide variety of cases.
Dog ban for man after fighting
A man from Peterhead has been disqualified from owning, keeping or working with animals for 10 years, after dogs were found horrifically injured in his flat.
James Miller, 46, of Slains Court, Peterhead, pled guilty at Aberdeen Sheriff Court to causing unnecessary suffering by failing to provide veterinary treatment for his dogs, Cyrus and Blue.
The sentence, which includes a 100-hour community payback order, followed an investigation by the Scottish SPCA.
Scottish SPCA inspector Fiona McKenzie said officers attended the property on April 13 after reports a dog had been injured while fighting.
Paedophile snared live on Facebook
A Lossiemouth sex offender who held a knife to his chest after being confronted by paedophile hunters live on Facebook has told a court his actions have “ruined his life”.
Video footage of George Innes, 57, clutching a knife to his body has been viewed more than 20,000 times on the social media platform, showing him saying: “My life is not worth living”.
The sting took place after Innes sent sexual messages and indecent images to a decoy profile that he thought was a 14-year-old girl called Savannah.
Inverness Sheriff Court heard that Innes messaged the decoy account on numerous occasions over an 18-day period.
Drunk guest flooded hotel
A drunk offshore worker flooded three floors of an Elgin hotel, causing water to pour through light fittings and trigger more than 100 fire alarm faults.
Ben Pirie left his room to pick up a takeaway but had forgotten to switch off his shower, Elgin Sheriff Court was told.
The plug hole then became blocked by a falling towel and the chaos that followed left the Coxton Park Travelodge overwhelmed with running water.
The 37-year-old’s reckless actions left the entire building’s fire alarm system non-operational and caused extensive damage to walls and carpets.
Bearded Chef spent night in custody
A Moray restaurant owner and chef spent the night behind bars after his first night out since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic turned nasty at home.
Aaron Judge, who is known as the Bearded Chef, was arrested after a struggle with his wife on June 11 this year.
During the domestic incident that involved Judge shouting, swearing and acting aggressively, the police were called over safety concerns.
The 42-year-old businessman, who owns The Bearded Chef catering firm and Elgin restaurant HQ, had earlier been enjoying an evening out with his wife.
Man jailed after posting photos of murdered police officers
An Inverness man displayed photos of two murdered police officers outside his home and attached comments about killing emergency service workers, before calling them to his property.
Gareth Benbow posted pictures of Pc Nicola Hughes and Pc Fiona Bone at the entrance to his home on April 2020.
The constables were killed in a gun and grenade attack by gangster Dale Cregan in 2012 when he lured the officers to their deaths after making a bogus 999 call.
Benbow, who claimed he had overdosed on tablets, called for help knowing the blue light services would see the offensive posts when they arrived.
Jailed attacker threatens sheriff
A violent street attacker that joined three other men who ganged up on three victims outside an Inverness bar has threatened the sheriff who jailed him.
John Madine was involved in a vicious assault outside Sobar on Castle Street, Inverness where he unleashed a barrage of punches on two victims during August 29 2020.
The ordeal was caught on camera by Highland Councillor Duncan Macpherson, who filmed the incident on his mobile phone and gave the video footage to police.
Appearing at Inverness Sheriff Court, Madine interrupted proceedings several times and even swore at the sheriff.
Dad squeezed sanitiser down son’s throat
A furious father whose son was given detention after an incident at school chased the boy, threw garden chairs at him, and squeezed hand sanitiser down his throat.
The 36-year-old Aberdeen man, who is not being named to protect the identity of his 13-year-old son, also slapped, kicked, and grabbed the boy by his neck.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told that the young teenager’s mum was “struggling with his behaviour at home” and had asked his dad to speak to him.
But instead of receiving a stern talking to, the boy was physically assaulted.
Disqualified driver flouts road ban
A disqualified driver was caught flouting his road ban twice in one week – just nine days after a court imposed it – and even brazenly drove his car away from a police station.
Maciej Zamiatala drove a 100-yard journey in his white Volkswagen Polo just nine days after he was first disqualified from driving.
Then five days after that, while collecting his car from Elgin police station, he got behind the wheel again.
But the 37-year-old’s decision to “blatantly ignore” the court order has landed him in jail and banned from driving once again.
OAP’s filthy text to married woman
A Moray pensioner who sent a filthy text to a married woman and then begged her to delete the explicit message has been placed on the sex offenders register.
Raymond Grant, 75, told the acquaintance he was having “bad thoughts” about her on March 23 this year.
When she innocently asked why, Grant texted back with a suggestive comment concerning a sex act.
The pensioner then begged the woman to delete the message and repeatedly apologised, Elgin Sheriff Court was told.
Bar brawler’s finger bitten off
An argumentative drunk had part of his finger bitten off during a bar fight that started when he refused staff’s requests to leave a Highland hotel.
Ronnie Russell was told to leave the Marine Hotel in Invergordon when he started arguing with other patrons of the High Street establishment.
But when the 41-year-old ignored the staff’s requests to go home, a customer confronted Russell and a bar brawl ensued, on September 18 of this year.
As the barmaid turned away, she heard a glass smashing, before the two men crashed through a set of double doors and into the pub’s toilet area.
Man stabbed in high-rise lift
A nightmare neighbour in an Aberdeen high-rise confronted a mum who reported him to the council – then stabbed her husband in a lift.
Daniel Youngson first challenged the woman in a communal hallway of Grandholm Court, asking if she had complained about his persistent smoking in the shared area.
After confirming she had, the woman returned to her flat but the raging 32-year-old began shouting and kicking her door, leaving her “distressed and alarmed”.
Youngson later rang the neighbours’ Ring doorbell, which the woman’s husband answered remotely, and the pair argued over the accused’s violent outburst earlier.
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Wheelie bin thief raided charity shop
A “despicable” thief smashed a charity shop window with a brick and loaded £3,000 of electronics into a wheelie bin which he pushed all the way home.
Alexander McDonald broke into the British Heart Foundation furniture and electrical shop on Union Street in Aberdeen in the early hours of the morning.
The 42-year-old filled a large, red wheelie bin with thousands of pounds worth of electrical appliances, including televisions, blenders and stereo equipment.
But the unsophisticated thief was soon caught after leaving a trail of stolen goods and blood stains which led police officers straight to the door of his flat on Baker Street.
Rejected pub-goer smashed out of police car
A man smashed his way out of a police car shouting “I will f****** kill yous” as officers dealt with his girlfriend who had just punched the constables’ faces.
Robert Maclean, 35, and Melissa Stewart, 38, had already assaulted the manager of the Wetherspoon’s pub on Fort William High Street after he refused to serve them alcohol.
When police tried to arrest the couple the violence escalated even further as officers were bitten, punched and headbutted by the pair.
Appearing at Inverness Sheriff Court, both of them admitted assaulting the pub manager and a policewoman on December 23 last year.
Sex offender begged for ‘just one’ kiss
A man tried to kiss a visitor to his Highland home and then refused to take no for an answer when the woman rejected his advances, a court has heard.
Stuart Bissett begged the lady for “just one” kiss after she told him: “No”.
But the 57-year-old then put his hand on her crotch and buttock, and later apologised to her in a text message, saying: “I’m sorry, it won’t happen again”.
Inverness Sheriff Court was told that the victim had turned up at her attacker’s Moss-Side Brae home in Nairn for work purposes, on May 2 of this year.
Roofing firm fined for false claims
A north-east roofing firm has been fined for falsely claiming it was approved by respected professional trade bodies.
Moray Firth Roofing Limited falsely advertised its reputation in the industry by wrongly claiming to be an accredited member of organisations, including the Master Guild of Craftsmen.
It plastered accreditation shields and logos all over its website, vans, flyers and Facebook page.
But the Elgin-based firm hadn’t actually been a member of any of the well-regarded associations for many years.
Rape and murder threats to policewoman
A man threatened to follow a policewoman home – then rape and murder the young officer and any children she had.
Michael Masson told the female constable that he had been watching her and knew where she lived, leaving her “visibly shaken”.
The 27-year-old warned that he had “nothing to lose” and wanted to “cause someone serious harm” during an incident which started in Portlethen on August 25 last year.
Masson hurled vile abuse, made chilling threats and repeatedly shouted and swore at the female officer who he called a “f****** lesbian f***** s***”.
Visitor slipped drugs to prisoner
A man has been jailed after being caught trying to sneak drugs to a prisoner while visiting him at HMP Grampian in Peterhead.
Paul Chalmers threatened to “murder” police officers after being seen slipping the package to the man during the visit.
Prison officers’ senses had been “heightened” because they were familiar with the 47-year-old and were aware that he did not know the man he was visiting well.
Chalmers had been “told” to deliver the package, containing cocaine and etizolam, by people he owed money to, Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard.
Three-car crash driver hid in field
A drunk construction worker caused a three-car crash and fled the scene – running off into a nearby field to hide from the police.
Hamish Howls ploughed into the back of one vehicle and caused it to hit the car in front, on May 17 this year.
The 42-year-old, who was previously banned from driving, had been drinking on the day he got behind the wheel of his Ford Transit work van.
After the crash on the B999, the builder from Newmachar got out of the van and apologised to the other drivers, before running away into a nearby field.
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Ronan Keating fan punished
A Ronan Keating fan who threatened a hotel manager after she complained about his loud music has been ordered to do 130 hours of unpaid work.
Alan Henry stormed into the Express by Holiday Inn on Chapel Street, Aberdeen and confronted the manager who reported the deafening volume of the Irish singer’s songs.
The 50-year-old angrily pointed his finger at the woman and demanded to know why she had called the police.
When the hotel boss tried to explain that it could have been anyone who called the police, Henry continued to rant and threatened to “come back and get her”.
Man denies alleged repairs scam
An Aberdeen man is among a pair of workmen who are accused of defrauding four pensioners in an alleged £28,000 house repairs scam.
John Forrest, 37, and Kevin Russell, 42, are accused of committing fraud at properties in Edinburgh and Bishopbriggs, East Dunbartonshire – charges they have both denied.
Court papers allege that the pair, of Kilmarnock and Aberdeen, while acting with others, pretended to an 81-year-old woman that they were “reputable roofers”.
It is claimed they pretended that the roof of the pensioner’s property required repairs and repeatedly said that further work was needed.
Egg farmer jailed over animal abuse
An egg farmer who let thousands of chickens starve to death while others were eaten by pigs in a case of “extreme” animal cruelty has been jailed.
Peter Armitage, a former director of Caithness Free Range Eggs Ltd, was locked up and banned from keeping animals for the next 15 years.
The 41-year-old appeared in the dock at Wick Sheriff Court alongside his former employee Kyle Mackay, 24, who dodged a custodial sentence.
The pair admitted a series of offences, including causing the hens unnecessary suffering by failing to give them enough food and water, resulting in their deaths.
Reveller slapped stranger’s bottom
A drunken reveller slapped a stranger’s bottom outside an Aberdeen nightclub – right in front of police officers who were speaking to him.
Paul Bain reached out and assaulted the woman as she walked past him outside Prohibition in Aberdeen city centre.
Stunned police officers, who had been talking with the 25-year-old at the time, asked the shocked woman if she knew Bain and she replied that she didn’t.
Bain, who is a forklift driver, was swiftly arrested and has been fined after pleading guilty to a charge of assault.
Disabled man tied to mobility scooter
A disabled man feared he would be set on fire by “cruel” tormenters who threw a bed sheet over him and taped him to his mobility scooter, claiming the act was inspired by a TV prank show.
Calvin Gallon, 23, and Callum Swaffield, 18, targetted the vulnerable man when he got onto his scooter for some fresh air outside his home in Macduff, Aberdeenshire.
The pair threw a bed sheet over him and tightly wrapped brown parcel tape around the helpless man’s head and body, leaving him trapped.
Gallon was heard to say “I’m going to send this to Valhalla!” and the alarmed man fearfully asked: “Are you going to set this on fire?”
Woman ‘thrust’ ferret at ex-boyfriend
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.
Sex attacker’s sentencing shambles
A sex attacker’s victims will have to wait even longer for him to be punished after the Peterhead predator wasn’t delivered to the dock on time for sentencing.
Ramunas Smitras, a prisoner of HMP Edinburgh, had only reached Dundee when he was actually expected to appear for sentencing at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.
The transport blunder meant that the 32-year-old former welder’s victims, who woke up expecting some kind of justice to be done that day, have to wait until December 7.
A spokesman for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service said: “Our understanding is that the vehicle bringing the accused to court was delayed in Dundee, so the case was deferred.
Facebook fraudster scammed woman out of £700
A Facebook fraudster scammed a woman out of £700 for work he never carried out and conned another customer whose bank card he stole from her home.
George Lindsay used Facebook Marketplace and other community pages on the social network to secure handyman jobs in Moray, fleecing customers out of their cash.
One woman, who was ripped off, was quoted £1,400 to repair her fence and the dodgy dealer took a £700 deposit but then failed to turn up to do the work.
On another occasion, the 47-year-old finished only half of the work that he agreed to do for a different woman – then disappeared with her debit card.
Rejected chef took hammer into pub
A chef who was thrown out of a north-east pub was wrestled to the ground when he came back to the seaside inn armed with a hammer.
Luke Kildare had previously been told to leave the Plough Inn in Macduff, Aberdeenshire, following a disturbance around 8pm on January 5 this year.
The 39-year-old returned an hour and a half later, claiming he was looking for his mobile phone.
But customers noticed the handle of a hammer poking out of Kildare’s pocket and when he tried to take it out, they panicked and tackled him to the ground.
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