Weekend court roll – a one-punch Aberdeen killer and a Dingwall chip shop rammy

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

‘Comply or go to jail’ – sheriff tells sex offender snared by undercover officer

A sheriff has told a sex offender to comply with court orders or go to jail after he was snared by an undercover police officer.

Neil Ross found the profile of what he thought was a 14-year-old girl and asked ‘her’ to send a picture “under her pyjamas”.

He also sent ‘her’ photographs of his genitals – and it was not his first such offence.

The 23-year-old appeared at Inverness Sheriff Court for sentencing in recent days having previously admitted a single charge of attempting to communicate indecently with an older child.

Peterhead woman moved car abandoned in middle of street – and gets driving ban

A woman who moved an abandoned car from the middle of the road has been given a driving ban.

Ruta Gedgaudaite told Peterhead Sheriff Court she got into an argument with her former partner, which led to him leaving his car still running in the middle of the street.

And when Gedgaudaite, 34, admitted to police she had moved the vehicle to a safer place – they took her to task because she had been drinking.

Police tested the breath of Gedgaudaite, of Waterside Road, Peterhead, and found she was three times over the limit.

Thug launched attack on man ‘simply going about his business’ on Aberdeen street

A thug who attacked a man “simply going about his business” on an Aberdeen street has been spared jail.

Sean Wilson was walking along Leadside Road close to the city centre last June when he encountered a man and launched an unprovoked attack on him.

He kicked and punched the victim, chased a second victim – and hurled racist and homophobic abuse at police.

Now, a sheriff at Aberdeen Sheriff Court has decided to spare him jail after hearing he had shown insight, regret and remorse.

Man kept tabs on ex’s movements and who she spoke to – then attacked her in her car

A thug attacked his ex-girlfriend before stealing her phone and using it to threaten her supposed new love interest.

Piotr Borys split from his partner but they kept in touch and he was in the car with her one day when he assaulted her.

The 49-year-old then stole her phone and threatened to expose her private messages – before turning his attentions to a second victim.

Borys used the woman’s phone to contact a man who he perceived as her ‘new love interest’ – and threatened to send photos of him to the man’s friend’s and family.

Man GUILTY of culpable homicide after one-punch killing outside Aberdeen pub

A man has been found guilty of a one-punch killing outside a city centre pub almost two years ago following a five-day trial in Aberdeen.

Derek Pearson killed Steven Johnson with a single blow after the father-of-seven fell and hit his head on the pavement on Carmelite Lane on March 12, 2023.

A jury of nine women and six men took three and a half hours to find 47-year-old Pearson guilty by majority of culpable homicide.

Pearson’s bail was revoked, and he was placed on remand until his sentencing hearing next month.

Man in court on assault and animal-injury charges after police incident

A man has appeared accused of multiple assaults and harming an animal after a police incident in Aberdeen last Friday.

Dozens of police officers were called to Park Road near Pittodrie on Friday afternoon after receiving reports of a man acting aggressively.

Linas Loupas appeared in private at Aberdeen Sheriff Court this afternoon on the day of his 28th birthday.

He faces eight charges.

Coke-driving Fraserburgh man banned from the roads

A Fraserburgh man who got behind the wheel of his mum’s car while under the influence of cocaine has been handed a year-long ban.

Keith Higgins was given the disqualification on Monday at Peterhead Sheriff Court, where he was also told to pay a fine of £370.

The court heard the 45-year-old was currently engaging with Turning Point in relation to his drug habit.

When the incident occurred, Higgins had taken his mum’s car – a blue Renault Kadjar – to drop off his brother in the West Road area of Fraserburgh on September 26 last year.

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VIDEO: Thug smashed up Highland chip shop in row over cheese sauce

A man smashed up a chip shop – after he was refused cheese sauce.

Charles MacLennan went to Renato’s on Dingwall High Street on Sunday afternoon having just been freed from spending 15 months on remand awaiting trial.

After ordering chips and cheese sauce, the 41-year-old was turned away because he couldn’t pay for it.

MacLennan then claimed he heard someone call him “a beast” – which enraged him because he had been acquitted last Friday by a jury of serious offences.

Highland vandal back in trouble after targeting dinosaur exhibition

A Highland woman who squashed cake into a King Charles waxwork avoided jail today for another act of vandalism.

Eilidh McFadden, from Fort William, and co-accused Orla Murphy, 23, spray-painted political slogans on ornaments used at GlasGlow in Glasgow’s Botanic Gardens on October 29 2022.

The offence took place days after McFadden, 23, and Tom Johnson defaced the figure of King Charles at Madame Tussauds in London.

The climate change protestors smashed vegan chocolate cake and foam onto the waxwork, which later had to be repainted and cleaned.

Forres pensioner’s careless driving left woman wheelchair-bound

A retired RAF firefighter’s momentary lack of attention resulted in a three-vehicle crash, which left several people injured and a woman wheelchair-bound.

Gordon Thomson, 80, was driving his BMW home to Forres when the crash happened near the junction of the B9101 with the A96 at Auldearn.

Thomson admitted causing serious injury by careless driving.

Inverness Sheriff Court heard that Thomson didn’t notice a red Toyota Yaris slowing down ahead of him and he ran into the back of it.

Part of Buckie man’s nose bitten off in savage attack

Police recovered a piece of a man’s nose from his garden after a savage brawl in Buckie.

Colin Reid initially told police that a dog had bitten off part of his nose, however, it later emerged that 20-year-old Thomas Stewart was the culprit.

Inverness Sheriff Court heard that the 20-year-old fought with Mr Reid at his property in Milton Drive, Buckie, on September 1 2023 and caused the vicious injury during the struggle.

Stewart appeared for sentence before Sheriff Eilidh Macdonald represented by Inverness solicitor David Patterson, after a background report had been prepared following his guilty plea to assault to severe injury and permanent disfigurement.

Banff church leader who sexually touched boy avoids prison

A qualified nurse and church leader from Banff has avoided prison despite being found guilty of sexually touching a boy half her age.

Lauren Middleton spoke only to confirm her name when she appeared at Banff Sheriff Court today as she waited to discover her fate at the hands of Sheriff Eric Brown.

The 30-year-old was found guilty of touching a 14-year-old boy – who cannot be named for legal reasons – in a sexualised way following a five-day trial at the court earlier this year.

She denied that, saying she had no idea that her actions were having a sexual effect on him and claimed the teenager had been “told to lie”.

Orkney rapist who preyed on women and girls jailed for 15 years

A serial sex attacker who preyed on adult women and underage girls during a campaign of abuse and rape was jailed for 15 years today.

Stuart Harding, 35, committed sex crimes against three women and two children at locations in Orkney.

He provided alcohol to young victims he targeted and had sex with a child victim on a mattress in the back of his white van.

Harding, of Birsay, Orkney, denied a series of charges during an earlier trial at the High Court in Edinburgh but was found guilty of 12 offences, including five or rape and two of attempted rape on unanimous verdicts by a jury.

Spanish driver guilty of causing biker’s death by careless driving on A82

A man who turned in front of a motorcycle and caused a fatal collision has been found guilty of causing death by careless driving.

Enrique Maffiote, from Tenerife, was visiting the Highlands with his wife and child when he made the ill-judged manoeuvre on the A82 by Glencoe.

Ross Dominick, 35, from Johnstone, was thrown from his BMW S1000R and suffered multiple, serious, non-survivable injuries.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Banff man who drove granny’s car dangerously banned for a year

A Banff man caught driving his granny’s car dangerously has been banned from the roads for a year and told he will need to pass his test again.

Calvin Ross appeared at Banff Sheriff Court on Wednesday and pleaded guilty to pulling off an unsafe overtake at speed.

The 21-year-old tried to overtake three vehicles on the evening of May 18 last year,  forcing both an off-duty police constable to slow down in an attempt to let him back into the correct lane and a van driver to brake to avoid a collision.

Fiscal depute Anne Mann told the court that the car Ross was driving on the A947 King Edward to Turriff road on the night of the incident, a white Renault Clio, was owned by and registered to his grandmother.

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Lawyers claim Aberdeen medical student was wrongly convicted of sex attack

An Aberdeen medical student convicted of molesting a woman at a party was the victim of a miscarriage of justice, his lawyers argued to appeal court judges today.

Judges at the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh were told that David Little, 24, had done nothing wrong in the case, which was heard at Aberdeen Sheriff Court last year.

Little, who studies at Aberdeen University,  is hoping to have his conviction quashed.

The student was found guilty following a trial at the city’s sheriff court last year of sexually touching and repeatedly trying to kiss a fellow undergraduate in November 2021 at a flat.

Aberdeen photographer walks free after domestic abuse claim not proven

A well-known Aberdeen photographer has walked free from court after a jury found an allegation of domestic abuse not proven.

Sam Brill, 38, stood trial at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and was accused of kicking, punching and throttling his then-partner at a holiday cottage on the Isle of Skye.

Brill – who previously pled guilty to assaulting the same woman in 2022 – said he was acting in self-defence.

The court was shown photographs of the woman with two black eyes and bruising to her arms, which she said were caused when Brill assaulted her and he said were sustained when he “retaliated in defence”.

Oban man supplied drugs to children aged 13 and 15

An Oban man has admitted giving two children, aged 13 and 15, cannabis joints and cigarettes.

Robert Murdoch, 66, pled guilty during a hearing at Oban Sheriff Court.

The offences took place at Murdoch’s home, in Miller Road, Oban, between August 1 2024 and November 29 2024.

Describing the case as “serious”, Sheriff Euan Cameron said all sentencing options, including jail, were available to him.

Woman accused of hate crime demanded lawyer who believes in Jesus

A woman accused of a hate crime has told a sheriff that efforts to find a lawyer have been hampered because of her insistence that they must believe in Jesus Christ.

Valerie Muir, 47, is accused of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner and making inappropriate religious and sexual remarks.

During a hearing at Oban Sheriff Court, Muir told Sheriff Euan Cameron that she had been unable to find a solicitor who believed in “Our Lord Jesus Christ”.

Sheriff Cameron told her that because there was a vulnerable witness in the case, the court could not allow her to defend herself.

Aberdeenshire teen given community service after he admits sharing indecent images

An Aberdeenshire teen has been given community service after being found with hundreds of child sexual abuse images.

Michael Wright, 18, admitted having the indecent images and videos on his devices and also pled guilty to sharing them online – claiming he only did so to “make friends”.

Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told that police were given a tip-off that indecent images of children had been uploaded on the website Reddit.

Fiscal depute Andrew Mann said officers traced the uploads to usernames linked to Wright and carried out searches of his parents’ properties in July 2023.

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