Our reporters have been sitting in courtrooms across the north and north-east this week and covered a wide variety of cases.
Carer crawled into vulnerable pensioner’s bedroom and told him: ‘I’ll gut you like a pig’
A care home worker filmed herself pinching a vulnerable pensioner’s face and telling him: “I’ll gut you like a pig.”
Shannon Ashley Anderson targeted 79-year-old William Maguire as he lay in his bed, crawling across the floor of his room before startling him.
In a video clip shot on Anderson’s mobile phone, Mr Maguire looked visibly distressed as the care worker recorded herself growling the chilling threat.
Caithness businessman jailed for more than a decade following ‘deplorable’ rape of two women
A Caithness businessman found guilty of raping two women was described as “deplorable” and “entitled” as a judge sentenced him to more than 10 years in prison at the High Court in Aberdeen.
Charles Sutherland was convicted of the rape of two women and of having unlawful sex with a girl under the age of 16 in August this year.
Sutherland, 36, was additionally found guilty of a single count of indecent assault following a six-day trial.
Aberdeen man fined for punching father-in-law, 86, in dinner row
An Aberdeen man left his 86-year-old father-in-law in hospital with a fractured cheek after the pensioner criticised his dinner.
Gerard Cunningham rained punches down on his wife’s elderly father after the three of them had shared dinner together at their home on Woodcroft Avenue in Aberdeen.
The violence was sparked when the 86-year-old made a comment about the meal and a heated argument broke out.
Former Highland soldier jailed for 12 years over repeated rape of woman
A former squaddie has been jailed for repeatedly raping and sexually assaulting a woman.
Ryan MacDonald was found guilty at trial of carrying out horrendous sexual offences upon the woman – including raping her on one occasion in hospital after she’d given birth.
The 31-year-old was found guilty of raping the woman on three occasions between October 2016 and August 2020.
Man appears in court charged with assaulting man who later died at Ellon flat
A man has appeared in court charged with seriously assaulting a man who was later found dead in his home.
Emergency services found the body of a man at his home on Gordon Place, Ellon, last Wednesday evening.
Police then named the deceased as Martin Forgie, 36, of Maud.
Gang of youths followed couple along Aberdeen street before man attacked
A gang of youths followed a couple along an Aberdeen street before one of the teens attacked the man.
Morgan Main was part of a group of drunken teens causing a nuisance on West North Street allegedly throwing stones.
When a man and a woman walking along the road objected to their behaviour, the gang began to follow them.
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Dons fan gets match ban lifted so he can take dementia suffering grandad to Pittodrie
A Dons fan facing a hooliganism charge has had his football stadium ban partially lifted so he can take his dementia suffering grandad to Pittodrie.
Neale Ross got bail restrictions preventing him from attending any football match in Scotland amended – but only if he is joined at Pittodrie by his 95-year-old relative.
The 35-year-old appealed to Aberdeen Sheriff Court to be allowed to take his season ticket-holding grandfather to home games at Aberdeen.
Men go on trial accused of murdering Peterhead dad Andrew Ross
Two men have gone on trial accused of stabbing a Peterhead dad to death outside a property in the town.
Luke Allan, 28, and Ethan Carlyle, 22, are alleged to have chased down and murdered father-of-two Andrew Ross during the incident on Ives Road in February last year.
Mr Ross, 52, was allegedly stabbed on the head and body by the pair, who deny the charges.
Kinloss double rapist branded ‘significant’ danger to women
An “arrogant” soldier has been jailed for eight years after being found guilty of two rapes in the Moray area.
Jamaican-born Andre Morgan was based at Kinloss as part of the 39 Engineers Regiment and is an army corporal.
The High Court in Aberdeen was told Morgan, 34, carried out the rapes just months apart on two women, one who was too intoxicated to give consent and the other who he had befriended online.
Nairn man called women ‘Barbie’ and sexually assaulted them
A man who called women “Barbie” before touching them inappropriately has been found guilty of sexual assault at Inverness Sheriff Court.
Peter Rozgonyi had denied the charges, with his solicitor claiming there was no sexual “tone” to his interactions with the women
But, following a two-day trial, Sheriff Eilidh MacDonald convicted the 56-year-old of both charges.
Community service for teen who violently assaulted man on ground
A teenage yob knocked down a man on an Aberdeen street – then proceeded to kick and stamp on his head until he became unconscious – has been given community service.
Taylor Rooney has been ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and placed under supervision for 18 months after admitting a serious assault.
Rooney admitted a charge of assault to severe injury over the frightening attack on a man, which happened on St Nicholas Street last September.
Elgin drunken lout locked up after lewd remarks to women
A 42-year-old Elgin man who breached an ASBO by continuing his drunken, abusive behaviour in the town has been jailed for 17 months.
The anti-social behaviour prevention order on James Shewan was served in June 2023 to try to protect the public but he ignored it on November 16 last year.
At an earlier hearing, Inverness Sheriff Court was told that he made sexual remarks to two women who he encountered outside his home in Masonic Close.
Aberdeen man in court accused of 17 crimes after A90 police chase
A man has appeared in court facing 17 charges following a police chase on the A90 between Hatton and Bridge of Don.
Liam Smith, 28, is accused of more than a dozen charges – including dangerous driving and attempted theft of a vehicle – and appeared in private at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.
The incident occurred on Tuesday, October 16 after the driver of a Saab 93 failed to stop for officers.
It prompted a chase down the A90 shortly before 6pm.
Aberdeen man locked up after city centre kitchen knife threats
An Aberdeen man has been jailed after chasing a man with a kitchen knife and making threats to “carve up” someone.
Bryce Buchan brandished a 10-inch blade at his victim and demanded that he give him all his belongings.
Buchan, 27, had been socialising with his girlfriend and another man in a flat on Guild Street before the incident on January 11 last year, Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told.
The victim was a friend of Buchan’s partner and had called around to see her at 2am.
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Landscape gardener banned from approaching ex for two years after violent domestic dispute
An Inverness landscape gardener has been ordered to stay away from his partner for two years after a domestic dispute turned violence.
Inverness Sheriff Court was told Shaun Flaherty’s ex is “so scared” of him and hoped a non-harassment would be imposed.
Flaherty, of Old Edinburgh Road, Inverness, admitted a breach of the peace at the home of his former partner in Kiltarlity on April 2 last year.
Neighbours heard shouting and were concerned about a domestic incident, so they called the police.
Inverness pub thug ‘came off worse’ after picking fight with top Thai kickboxer
A drunken reveller who picked a fight with an Inverness bouncer “came off worse” after it emerged his victim was a top Thai kickboxer.
Stuart Johnstone was “incredibly intoxicated” when he punched the door steward in the face, bursting his lip, after taking umbrage about being asked for ID.
Sheriff David Harvie called the 28-year-old’s behaviour “utterly reprehensible” after hearing how he also unleashed a volley of racist abuse.
Boy, 16, pleads guilty to killing Elgin bus driver Keith Rollinson
A 16-year-old boy admitted killing Elgin bus driver Keith Rollinson in a brutal drink-fuelled attack.
The boy, who was 15 at the time and can’t be named for legal reasons, didn’t “appreciate the severity” of how his actions caused the dad-of-two’s death at Elgin bus station earlier this year, a court was told.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard how the youngster’s horrifying assault on Mr Rollinson was so fierce that he broke a bone in his hand.
He had previously assaulted another bus driver, the court was told.
Man in court on attempted murder charge after Kirkwall incident
A man has appeared in court on a number of charges, including attempted murder, after two people were seriously injured in Kirkwall.
The alleged assaults took place at around 9.40pm on Tuesday outside a premises on Burnmouth Road in the Orkney capital.
A 38-year-old man and 39-year-old woman were taken to hospital for treatment.
Domestic abuser warned jail is on cards if he commits more offence
A sheriff told a 21-year-old with a record of domestic violence that just because he witnessed it growing up was no excuse for him to do it himself.
Cameron Huggins was already on a non-harassment order to protect an ex-partner when he appeared at Inverness Sheriff Court to admit charges of assault and threatening behaviour on a new partner.
The offence occurred at an address on Admiral’s View, Inverness, on February 19 this year when he and the complainer returned home from work.
Peterhead woman walks free after witnesses refuse to co-operate in window fall case
A trial for a woman accused of pushing a man out of a Peterhead window has been dropped just hours after it started.
Claire Simpson, 42, went on trial at the beginning of this week for the incident. which is said to have taken place in December 2022.
However, due to some of the witnesses refusing to speak, the Crown are no longer seeking to convict Ms Simpson of the crime and the case has been abandoned.
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