Weekend court roll – a Highland killer and a despicable domestic abuser

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

Aberdeen DJ guilty of ‘horrific’ campaign of domestic abuse against two women

An Aberdeen DJ has been convicted of a “horrific” campaign of domestic abuse on two women over a nine-year period.

Abuser Ryan Calvert, 36, has been on trial at Aberdeen Sheriff Court facing 16 charges of domestic abuse dating back to 2010.

The court heard how Calvert, then a DJ at the Justice Mill pub on Union Street, assaulted two long-term partners – one to the danger of her life when he strangled her until she passed out.

One of his victims told the jury that when Calvert flew into rages it made her feel “really, really scared”.

Man who raped and abused child for 13 years facing long period behind bars

A predatory paedophile who repeatedly raped and sexually abused a child for 13 years is facing the prospect of never being freed from prison.

Alistair Burnett, from Sandhaven near Fraserburgh, was convicted of subjecting the youngster to sickening sexual abuse, including repeated rapes.

Much of his abuse is too disturbing to report in detail.

When he appeared for sentence at the High Court in Livingston via a video link from prison Judge Jane Farquharson said a criminal justice report about the accused had given her “cause for concern”.

Man avoids jail after online threats to kill Aberdeen MP Kirsty Blackman

An Aberdeen MP has said abuse towards politicians “cannot be tolerated” after a man who threatened to kill her appeared in the dock.

Paul Dawson admitted posting a picture of Kirsty Blackman on his Facebook page alongside threats to “skin” her and stated: “You are getting death”.

The 42-year-old claimed he did not want to kill anyone but added that he would if he “had to”.

The chilling threats prompted Ms Blackman – an SNP MP for Aberdeen North – to alert the police.

Man who told bouncer he would ‘murder’ his kids found with kitchen knife moments later

A man threatened to “murder” the children of an Aberdeen nightclub bouncer moments before police found a kitchen knife in his pocket.

Kevin Goffin – who once had a racist public meltdown in a cafe when his meal came without coleslaw – asked the doorman if he “knew who he was” and flew into a rage when the bouncer said he didn’t.

The 43-year-old appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court where he admitted uttering the vile threats to the man outside Nox nightclub.

When the police arrived on the scene, they found Goffin acting aggressively and, upon searching him, found a kitchen knife in his pocket.

Man who crashed into Elgin train at level crossing guilty of dangerous driving

A man who drove into the path of an oncoming train at a Highland level crossing has been convicted of dangerous driving.

Ivan Nicol passed through the crossing gates, ignoring red flashing lights and a warning siren, and collided with the two-carriage train from Elgin.

Nicol, 51, had denied a charge of dangerous driving in relation to the incident at the Lower Cullernie crossing, near Allanfearn, on January 31 last year, but was convicted following a trial at Inverness Sheriff Court.

Watch exclusive video of the train crash here

Drunk man assaulted and abused police after Union Street arrest

A man used vile xenophobic slurs towards a police officer, telling him he “didn’t like being near Polish people” and that Donald Trump “had a good idea” in building a wall to keep out migrants.

Francis McPhee also made violent threats to kill police officers when they arrested him on Union Street in Aberdeen even though it was the 35-year-old who had called them.

Clearly intoxicated, McPhee then lashed out with his fists and feet before letting forth a volley of abuse towards officers – calling them “prostitutes and “fat Oompa-Loompas”.

McPhee then focused his abuse on one constable, who he told to go back to his own country, Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard.

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Booze thief jailed after he battered Aberdeen shopkeeper with beer can

A serial beer thief has been jailed after he struck a shop worker on the head with a can of lager in an attempt to get his hands on more alcohol.

Lee Munro, 24, appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court where he admitted threatening and assaulting shopkeepers at stores across the Granite City.

His solicitor, Lynn Bentley, told the court that Munro wanted to go back to prison as it offered him more safety and structure to his life than the outside world.

Fiscal depute Jane Spark told the court that at around 5pm on June 22 2024, Munro entered C10 Convenience Store on School Road, Aberdeen, where he picked up two four packs of lager and tried to run out of the shop.

Elgin firm fined £20,000 after worker lost finger in Megasaw accident

A Moray manufacturing firm has been fined £20,000 after a worker suffered a full finger amputation while operating an industrial saw.

The employee was using machinery, known as the Megasaw, at Hendry Hydraulics in Elgin when the accident occurred.

A court heard that a front-load finger guard on the machine had been taped out of position and was obscuring a warning sign detailing the hazard.

Hendry Hydraulics Ltd. admitted a single charge of failing to ensure the health, safety and welfare of its workers.

Ellon paedophile pensioner had 11 days worth of indecent videos of children

An Ellon pensioner who told police he had little interest in child abuse material was later found with 10,000 indecent images and videos on his devices, some of which involved toddlers.

Richard Kearsey, 80, appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court where he admitted downloading tens of thousands of child images alongside more than 11 days’ worth of indecent video footage.

Much of the shocking content found on Kearsey’s electronic devices was of the most serious category and is so disturbing it cannot be described in this report.

The vile images and videos discovered also featured boys and girls aged only two years old, the court was told.

Teacher cleared of taping child’s mouth shut at Highland primary school

A Highland primary school teacher who was accused of taping a child’s mouth shut has been cleared of all charges.

Joyce Kullas, 64, always denied assaulting and attempting to assault children at her school, which cannot be named for legal reasons.

At the opening of her trial at Tain Sheriff Court, solicitor John MacColl told the court his client’s position was “it simply didn’t happen”.

The case against her – which related to three children aged between seven and nine – was dropped after Sheriff Neil Wilson heard evidence from one of her accusers, a young boy.

Aberdeen woman who duped doctors into writing pain pill prescriptions avoids jail

A woman who tricked doctors into believing she was other patients in a scam get her hands on strong pain medication has avoided a prison sentence.

Roseann Reid deceived health professionals at a series of doctors’ practices across the north-east by assuming the identities of two women to fraudulently obtain their prescriptions for naproxen and dihydrocodeine.

The 50-year-old even went to a number of different pharmacies across Grampian to collect the drugs in a swindle that lasted more than two years.

Aberdeen Sheriff Cout heard that Reid managed to obtain pain pill prescriptions from doctors in Aberdeen, Peterhead, Banchory and Huntly.

Man who murdered Kyle of Lochalsh community champion sentenced to at least 16 years in prison

A man was today sentenced to life imprisonment for the “appalling” murder of a former bed and breakfast host and community champion.

Michael Joyce – who had been accused of holding his victim “in servitude” before his agonising death – was told by a judge he would need to serve at least 16 years before being considered for parole.

Joyce, 33, appeared for sentence at the High Court in Stirling after being found guilty in Edinburgh last month of a fatal attack that left Michael White, 61, with fractured ribs and internal injuries.

A jury heard that Joyce had regularly beaten Mr White, and had redirected funds from his bank account for at least a year.

Man facing five years in prison after stun gun found in Huntly

A man who was caught with a disguised stun gun among his belongings was warned he could face a minimum five-year jail sentence today.

Albert Blackmore was detained by police after they forced entry to a property in Huntly where the weapon was later found.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard that they received information that Blackmore, 28, was temporarily staying at the address and he was arrested in relation to a separate matter.

Advocate depute Lynsey Rodger said officers were directed to a rucksack belonging to Blackmore which was found to contain the stun gun along with other items.

Turriff thug jailed after hurling threats at Press and Journal court reporter

An aggressive serial thug from Turriff has been jailed for hurling threats at a Press and Journal court reporter.

Derek Simpson, who appeared at Banff Sheriff Court last week from custody, was given three months in jail for shouting aggressively towards our female journalist.

Simpson, 40, pled guilty at Banff Sheriff Court to shouting aggressively and uttering threats.

Simpson’s aggressive outburst came after he saw an article in which his own solicitor told a court he had suffered a catastrophic injury and one of his legs had to be amputated.

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Aberdeen human trafficking arrests: Five men appear in court

Five men have appeared in the dock accused of human trafficking offences in Aberdeen.

Laurentiu Raducanu, 28, Ionut Cristea, 32, Danut Burcea, 34, and Cosmin Cristea, 20, all from Aberdeen, and Cristi Serea, 32, of no fixed abode, appeared in private at Aberdeen Sheriff Court yesterday.

All five were arrested after police officers carried out a series of raids at addresses in the city centre.

Each man is accused of a single charge under the Human Trafficking and Exploitation Act.

Inverness man in rooftop stand-off had to be rescued by firefighters after getting stuck in window

An Inverness man involved in a rooftop stand-off with police had to be rescued by firefighters after he became stuck in a window.

Officers had followed a trail of blood to Ross Williamson’s door – but when they knocked he refused to answer and instead climbed onto a porch roof.

From there Williamson hurled abuse, as well as tiles, before attempting to re-enter the property and becoming jammed in the window.

He was detained but later assaulted two officers by kicking and spitting at them.

Shetland man denies knife murder of Canadian girlfriend

A man is to stand trial charged with the murder of his partner in Shetland.

Aren Pearson, 40, is accused of killing Claire Leveque – before allegedly telling one of her relatives that she was in “good health”.

The crime is said to have occurred at a garage linked to a property in Sandness in Shetland on February 11 2024.

The murder charge states he repeatedly struck Miss Leveque – originally from Canada – on the head, neck and body with a knife or knives.

Aberdeen stalker threatened woman with death sentence if he saw her with another man

A jilted stalker skulked outside a terrified woman’s house in the early hours of the morning and made violent threats to kill her, a court has heard.

Jevgenijs Paskevics, 43, became obsessed with the woman – believing they were in a romantic relationship – before turning aggressive and intimidatory when she rejected him.

Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard Paskevics, a factory worker, told the woman that if he ever saw her with another man, he would kill both of them.

Fiscal depute Brooklyn Shaw told the court that during summer last year the woman received a telephone call from Paskevics where he introduced himself and said that he had seen her on the bus.

 

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