Weekend court roll – a football yob and a stalker’s pizza delivery

Our reporters have been sitting in courtrooms across the north and north-east this week and covered a wide variety of cases.

Watch: Police dashcam catches A90 speeder going almost 120mph

A police dashboard camera captured the moment officers were overtaken by a speeding driver going almost 120mph on the A90.

Ewen Noble was originally charged with dangerous driving over the extremely reckless speeding incident.

However, he was later found guilty of the lesser charge of careless driving during a trial at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.

During Noble’s prosecution, video footage from a police vehicle’s dashcam was played in court, showing Noble’s grey BMW racing past near Cookney.

Torry mum’s dog ban

A Torry mum who abandoned her crumbling concrete home but left her pet dogs behind to starve in disgraceful conditions wept in the dock as she was banned from keeping animals.

Donna Fraser, 36, was one of hundreds of residents in the area whose homes were found to contain the dangerous Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) – a porous material that can structurally fail when exposed to moisture.

The mum-of-four was forced to evacuate her Aberdeen home on Pentland Road, Balnagask, after the flat’s ceiling collapsed and the property flooded.

Two dogs in her care – named Reggie and Dakota – had to be destroyed after they were exposed to “horrendous” conditions.

Suffering neighbours told to ‘do a Caroline Flack and kill yourself’

A nasty couple stuck pictures of dead television presenter Caroline Flack to the front of their house to upset their neighbours who were told to kill themselves as she had.

Katie Bramhall, 35, and Brian Park, 43, admitted taunting the two men about the TV star’s suicide and uttering threatening homophobic remarks during a bitter feud with the pair.

It culminated in Bramhall and Park pasting more than a dozen pictures of the tragic celebrity to the front window of their home, with one of them telling the under-fire residents to “go do a Caroline Flack and kill yourself”.

Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard the two men felt forced to move away from the area to escape Bramhall and Park’s distressing hostility.

No jail for machete stabber

A machete-wielding yob stabbed a male in the back during a frenzied knife fight in a row over the sale of a puppy.

Noah Assurreira grabbed a machete and rushed to confront his victim on Hayton Road in Aberdeen, after spotting him walking the puppy he claimed he hadn’t been paid for.

But the man whipped out his own knife and the two swung their blades at each other wildly, narrowly missing a family of four as they walked past.

And Assurreira, 21, got the better of his foe as he plunged the frightening weapon into his back, leaving a six-inch deep wound.

Man accused of flashing and trying to abduct child at Aberdeen playpark

A man has appeared in court accused of indecently exposing himself to a child and attempted abduction at an Aberdeen playpark.

Police were called to Sumburgh Crescent – close to Sheddocksley Community Centre – around 4.45pm on Thursday September 26.

Officers had received reports of a disturbance and one man was arrested.

Michael Glennie appeared in private at Aberdeen Sheriff Court charged in connection with the alleged incident.

Teen thugs face jail after violent spree in Oban and Fort William

Two Highland teenagers who attacked men and women in a spree of violence have been told to prepare for jail.

Grant-Finlay McPhee, 19, and a 17-year-old boy took part in two incidents involving assaults in Oban and Fort William.

The younger teen, who cannot be named for legal reasons, also admitted his role in a separate incident at a Fort William playpark.

The case against the teenagers will be resolved in just over a month and a sheriff at Inverness Sheriff Court told them to expect a lengthy prison sentence.

‘Inconsiderate’ Aberdeen businesswoman’s driving was ‘dangerous’

An Aberdeen businesswoman drove at almost 100mph while veering across the A90 at high speed.

Chelsee Evans-Shepherd, 53, frightened other motorists by driving in a “dangerous and inconsiderate manner” – often at breakneck speed – between Stonehaven and Dundee.

The property firm director was seen by police clocking a top speed of 97mph as she tailgated other drivers in her private registration vehicle, flashing for them to get out of the way.

Her solicitor, Gail Goodfellow, claimed that if the police, who were following behind Evans-Shepherd’s car, had pulled her over sooner, then “the manner of her driving would have stopped sooner than it did”.

Football coach caught growing cannabis in Aberdeen loft

An underprivileged children’s football coach was caught with almost £50,000 of cannabis in his Aberdeen loft but claimed it was only for personal use.

Police raided Jason Danton’s home on Victoria Road after receiving intelligence about a “substantial amount” of cannabis kept there.

Upon entering the loft area, officers found a sophisticated cultivation with lighting, foiled walls, ventilation, battery packs and extension cables.

The 40-year-old initially tried to claim the farm was only for personal use.

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German will ‘never drive abroad again’ after girlfriend killed

A German tourist who killed his girlfriend in a Highland road crash has completed 300 hours of voluntary work in his homeland and will never drive abroad again, a court has heard.

Gerrit Reickmann, 31, was driving a hired Citroën C3 when he steered onto the wrong side of the A82 near Drumnadrochit on October 12 2020.

The horrific collision with a Honda CRV killed his passenger and then-girlfriend Melina Rosa Päprer, 24, and left the woman driver of the other vehicle severely injured.

The High Court in Inverness heard how Reickmann and Melina had travelled from Germany to see Highland castles in the days before the collision, which took place near Borlum Farm.

Drug addict mugged vulnerable man

A drug-addicted robber has been locked up for jumping a vulnerable man at a Tesco cash machine in Aberdeen.

Shaun Lerche pounced on his unsuspecting victim as he withdrew £20 from the Great Northern Road ATM.

The 33-year-old grabbed hold of the man from behind and threw him to the ground, shouting “gimmie that” before snatching his wallet and running away from the scene.

Fiscal depute David Rogers told Aberdeen Sheriff Court the victim had left a friend’s address around 10.30pm on June 2 this year.

‘Obsessed’ Banchory stalker’s pizza delivery

A Deeside stalker acted like he was in a romantic relationship with a woman he repeatedly contacted and even delivered pizza to her home.

Charles McCombie, 69, bombarded his victim with messages and invited himself over to her home in the middle of the night.

When she rejected him, McCombie’s interactions turned sinister – with him following her to a park and picking up her dog.

McCombie then became verbally abusive, hurling disgusting and derogatory terms as he accused the woman of being sexually promiscuous.

Knife attack sliced tendons in victim’s fingers

An Inverness man has been jailed for carrying out a knife attack that left his victim with partially severed tendons in three fingers.

William Black had gone to his victim’s Anderson Street home to borrow some tobacco when an argument developed and a knife was produced.

After the man placed his hand on the blade, Black pulled it back – slashing the man’s fingers in the process.

Black, 40, admitted assault to severe injury, permanent disfigurement and impairment in relation to the incident in Merkinch.

Show off Aberdeen boy racer ploughed into tree near Lossiemouth

A drink-driving boy racer from Aberdeen who ignored passengers’ pleas to slow down before crashing into a tree has been spared jail.

Matthew Hogg’s solicitor said his client had made some of the “worst decisions of his life” on the night of the crash near Lossiemouth.

Sheriff Eilidh MacDonald commented that it was fortunate the collision had not killed anyone.

Hogg, 21, appeared for sentencing at Inverness Sheriff Court, having previously admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving, as well as drink-driving and driving without insurance.

Paedophile who moved to Wick had made and shared child abuse material

A dangerous predator infiltrated an Angus family – sexually abusing three children and sharing images of them with other paedophiles on the dark web – and then moved in with a family in Wick.

Paul Stewart, 45, targeted children as young as 11 months old over three years at an address in Arbroath.

A court heard how Stewart was described as “great with kids” and “confident” as he deliberately became involved “for nefarious purposes” with women who had children.

The former HGV driver is now facing a lengthy jail term and is remanded in custody ahead of sentencing after pleading guilty to nine charges.

Turriff drug driver gets one-year road ban and fine

A Turriff man’s lawyer said his client had learned a “hard lesson” after being caught driving under the influence of cannabis.

Robert James was stopped by the police earlier this year over concerns about the way he was driving on an unclassified road near Forglen.

Officers followed the 20-year-old on the B9025 before pulling over James close to his home address of Bogton Cottage, around 8pm on March 19.

Fiscal depute Emma Paterson said the officers first stopped James to carry out a “system check” on his black Ford Fiesta.

Couple’s starved dog didn’t eat for up to 3 DAYS before dying

A couple’s dog starved to death after not eating properly for at least a month with no food consumed for up to three days before he died.

The German Shepherd, which a postmortem revealed had died from severe emaciation, was in the care of Lee Derrett, 26, and 23-year-old Dielle Johnson.

They landed in the dock where the pair admitted culpability and causing unnecessary suffering to their pet named Blaze.

An examination of the dead dog revealed it had lost more than half its body weight – with faeces found to be caked into its fur and paws.

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Duo jailed for £40k Gramps drug stash

Savvy cops who discovered £40,000 of drugs hidden in an Aberdeen nature reserve installed electronic devices to snare the dealers.

Adam Ross, 30, and Nico Neri-Ross, 31, were frequently spotted heading into the woodland after officers – acting on intelligence – placed the pair under surveillance.

They’d concealed cocaine and heroin underneath branches in the Gramps, however, a police sniffer dog named Hamish soon traced their valuable stash.

Officers then hatched a plan to swap the substances with cameras and microphones in a bid to outsmart the drug-dealing duo.

‘Nasty’ Fraserburgh man hid listening devices in ex’s home

A Fraserburgh man narrowly avoided jail after hiding listening devices at a woman’s home in a “despicable” breach of her privacy.

John Ross Stewart failed to accept his relationship with her had ended and refused to stop contacting the woman.

A prosecutor told Peterhead Sheriff Court that Stewart concealed cameras in the woman’s home so he could listen to her conversations and keep track of her whereabouts.

Fiscal depute Ruairidh McAllister said the 39-year-old had placed four devices behind electrical sockets in various locations around the woman’s property.

Convicted Hollywood actress scammer lies to sheriff

A woman who pretended to lead a glamourous showbiz lifestyle to scam cash out of relatives lied when she told a sheriff she could pay them back.

Heather Dunlop and her Beauly mum Ann were last year convicted of defrauding loved ones out of £35,000.

They had falsely claimed Heather was an aspiring Hollywood actress who rubbed shoulders with A-list celebrities such as Beyoncé.

And when a sheriff warned the 40-year-old she could face jail unless she paid her victims back, Heather claimed to have £14,200.

However, it emerged that was a lie too, and now Heather and Ann are waiting to discover if they will be jailed.

No jail for football yob with Nazi banner who threw coin at Dons fan

A yob who threw a coin at a female Aberdeen fan during a football match has narrowly avoided being jailed.

Rangers fan Jordan McArthur was at Ibrox to see his team play the Dons on May 7 last year when he threw the coin at the travelling supporter.

The 31-year-old appeared at Glasgow Sheriff Court and admitted committing the offence and also unfurling a Nazi banner in another game against Aberdeen.

During the hearing, the court heard how police spotted McArthur holding something in his right hand, mouthing: “Can I throw this back?”

Ex-forces Peterhead paedophile caught with sick child abuse videos

A Peterhead man who served in the armed forces for 20 years was caught with sick child abuse videos during a raid on his home.

Police officers descended on Mark Spiller’s property at Viking Way in August last year.

While searching the address, they found a mobile phone belonging to Spiller.

An examination of a car parked outside that was insured in Spiller’s name further uncovered a laptop and a hard drive.

Mum’s horror as daughter’s diary entries reveal paedophile’s abuse

A heartbroken mum discovered a Highland paedophile was abusing her child when she read disturbing entries in her daughter’s diary.

The woman, who cannot be named to protect the identity of her child, spoke out after Fraser Murray was jailed for 10 years.

He was locked up after videoing the girl who was just 10 when his disgusting crimes began.

Audaciously, Murray, 33, of Croy near Nairn, told social workers his victim had “initiated” sexual contact with him.

Jail for man who torched ex-lover’s Aberdeen home in £340k inferno

An Aberdeen man who torched his ex-lover’s home in a jealous rage causing £340,000 worth of damage has been jailed for more than a year.

James Gallacher was “heavily intoxicated” when he lit a fire that ripped through the four-bedroom Bucksburn house, destroying the family’s most treasured possessions and memories.

Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard how Gallacher entered his former partner’s home in a fury when he discovered she had gone on holiday without him.

He then poured lighter fluid on her bed and ignited it.

Inverness roofer elbowed clubber

An Inverness roofing contractor elbowed a nightclubber’s face mistakenly believing he had touched his girlfriend on the dance floor.

Bruce Campbell, 24, lashed out at Eihmin Hudson at Berkeley Suite in Glasgow’s Charing Cross on July 2 last year.

Campbell, the director of a roofing company in the Highland capital, attacked barista Mr Hudson, during the violent misunderstanding.

However, a friend of Mr Hudson later told a court that it may have been another man in the victim’s company who was to blame.

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