Our reporters have been sitting in courtrooms across the north and north-east this week and covered a wide variety of cases.
Second man in court over alleged Kirkwall attempted murder
A second person has appeared in court charged in connection with two serious assaults on Orkney.
A 38-year-old man and 39-year-old woman were taken to hospital after the incident last Tuesday outside a premises on Burnmouth Road in Kirkwall.
The man, described as being in a “critical condition”, was taken to the town’s Balfour Hospital and then transferred to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee.
The woman, whose condition is unknown, was also taken to Balmour Hospital for treatment.
Drug dealing Inverness rapist back in court to hand over ill-gotten gains
A drug trafficking rapist serving time for subjecting teenagers to sex attacks made more than £6,000 from his life of crime.
Adam Pentacost, 34, used force to commit a series of rapes involving two much younger victims during assaults in Inverness.
Pentacost did not wear a condom during the attacks on the teenagers and one contracted a sexual infection after being raped by him.
Man appears in court over two-car blaze in Stonehaven
A man has appeared in court accused of starting a blaze that destroyed two cars in Stonehaven last week.
Jordan Bourdet, 42, appeared in private at Aberdeen Sheriff Court in connection to the incident, which saw a fire rip through two vehicles on Woodcot Court in the town at about 4.30am on Friday October 18.
The cars – a white Ford Ka and a white Hyundai – were completely burnt out following an early-morning blaze.
Aberdeen man in court after £170,000 cocaine seizure
A 46-year-old man has appeared in court after a kilo of cocaine was discovered following an Aberdeen car search.
Matthew Oag was arrested and charged over the drugs, estimated to be worth £170,000.
A vehicle was stopped on Belmont Road last Friday afternoon and officers went on to search a property on Holburn Street, where more of the Class A drugs were found.
Former Aberdeen auxiliary nurse who poisoned child gets jail sentence cut
A former auxiliary nurse who poisoned a vulnerable child with laxatives and saw him undergo unnecessary operations and treatment had her jail sentence cut today by appeal judges.
Tracy Menhinick was jailed for seven years earlier this year after she was found guilty of wilfully ill-treating the boy over three years to the danger of his life.
But lawyers acting for Menhinick, 52, challenged the sentence imposed on her at the Court of Appeal in Edinburgh claiming that it was “excessive”.
Aberdeen predator branded ‘danger to children’ and locked up for 15 years
A heart transplant patient was jailed for 15 years today after sexually abusing three girls before he underwent the life-saving surgery.
Former health and safety officer Robert Foulkes, 65, raped two of his victims and subjected a third to indecent conduct during a catalogue of sex crimes.
A judge told Foulkes at the High Court in Edinburgh: “You pled guilty to three charges involving extremely serious sexual offending against young girls.”
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Inverness sex offender jailed for 15 months after being caught with abuse images for second time
A convicted paedophile who threatened legal action against The Press and Journal because we covered his case has been jailed for 15 months.
Roy Howe was caught with graphic images of children being abused, one of whom was under two years of age.
Inverness Sheriff Court was told Howe continued to source photographs of children being abused for as long as six months after he was placed on a community payback order for committing a similar offence.
Woman avoids prison sentence for spitting on Greggs worker and telling to go back to her own country
A woman who spat on a Greggs worker and told her to go “back to her own country” has been told she should consider herself fortunate she’s not being jailed.
Ann-Marie Cran, also known as Plummer, appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court where she admitted racially abusing the woman at Greggs on Union Street in Aberdeen.
The 49-year-old – who has a long record of previous convictions – then spat at the woman several times, making contact with her face.
Disqualified van driver who deliberately drove into Inverness cyclist jailed at High Court
A disqualified driver who attacked an Inverness cyclist by driving a van at him was jailed for four-and-a-half years today.
Ross Grant, 29, struck his victim with the vehicle, resulting in him falling to the ground during the assault in Greig Street.
Grant originally faced a charge of attempting to murder the man but the Crown accepted his guilty plea to attacking him to his injury and the danger of life on August 24 last year.
Inverness pensioner caught in paedophile sting avoids prison sentence
An Inverness pensioner who was caught in a sting operation by members of three different paedophile hunter groups has been ordered to take part in a rehabilitation programme for sex offenders.
Raymond Paterson thought he was communicating with teenagers aged from 13 to 15.
The 70-year-old complimented their underwear, gave instructions on how to pleasure themselves and sent messages saying what he wanted to do with them.
Inverness man spared jail after he downloaded almost 23 hours of abuse videos
An Inverness man who downloaded more than 22 hours of videos of children being abused and 1,058 indecent images over an eight-year period has avoided jail.
Instead, Nigel Gordon, who is living in temporary accommodation in Inverness’ Lochalsh Road, must participate in a rehabilitation programme for sex offenders, remain under social work supervision for three years and carry out 240 hours of unpaid work.
The 59-year-old was also placed on the sex offender’s register for three years.
Man found with knife in his pocket tells police: ‘This is Tillydrone, this is war’
An Aberdeen man found in possession of a knife explained to police officers he needed it to survive the “war” being waged on the streets of Tillydrone.
Dainis Maidelis, 47, appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court where he admitted having a lock knife in his pocket alongside £250 of cocaine.
When asked what he was doing with the blade, Maidelis told them he had been “robbed before”, adding: “This is Tillydrone, this is war.”
Brothers found guilty after Peterhead dad stabbed to death
Two brothers have been found guilty over the fatal stabbing of Peterhead dad Andrew Ross.
The jury found Luke Allan, 28, unanimously guilty of murder while his younger brother Ethan Carlyle, 23, was convicted by majority of the lesser charge of assault with a knife.
Mr Ross, 52, was stabbed to death in what was described as a “cold-blooded” and “frenzied” attack outside a flat on Ives Road in Peterhead on February 5 2023.
The jury of eight men and seven women took just over five hours to reach their verdicts.
Aberdeen supporters get unpaid work after trouble at Tannadice
Two Aberdeen supporters who were part of a masked mob that charged towards a group of Dundee United fans have been ordered to perform unpaid work.
Cameron Craig and Ben Johnston were among the dozens of men dressed in black who conducted themselves in a disorderly manner outside the Snug Bar on March 4 2023.
The pair have now been ordered to perform unpaid work after being reprimanded by a sheriff for their conduct.
Johnston, 18, also admitted a separate charge of struggling violently with five police officers.
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Two Aberdeen women jailed for ‘brutal’ Hutcheon Street stabbing
Two Aberdeen women who repeatedly stabbed and kicked their helpless victim in a “brutal” street attack have been jailed.
Candice Seers, 38, and accomplice Leah Petrie, 22, attacked Tina Stewart on Hutcheon Street on May 30 2023.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard how Ms Stewart, 33, was stabbed repeatedly during the assault. She was also punched and kicked repeatedly on the head and body.
The court heard that the pair continued to attack Ms Stewart as she lay defenceless on the ground.
Revealed: How Elgin drugs kingpin was snared after underling died in fatal Moray car crash
A mastermind drug dealer who ran an empire from his jail cell was finally snared – by his dead underling’s mobile phone.
Christopher Smith, 34, of Elgin, was selling cocaine from prison, running a network of lackeys making, cutting and delivering drugs for him – and enforcing debts due to him from addicts.
Smith, who has today been jailed, was even audacious enough to order a footman to send cocaine into his jail as he knew prices were soaring on the inside.
Dutch motorcyclist banned after serious crash ends Highland holiday
A motorbiking holiday in the Highlands almost ended in tragedy for two Dutch tourists when they collided with each other on a country road.
Inverness Sheriff Court heard that 30-year-old Jordy Nuesink failed to realise the tightness of a bend on the A939 Nairn to Ferness road on June 23 2022 and drifted into the wrong lane.
Dashcam footage played to Sheriff Gary Aitken showed Nuesink cross over the central white lines and into the path of a car.
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