Our reporters have been sitting in courtrooms across the north and north-east this week and covered a wide variety of cases – including a Big Issue seller who became a creepy stalker and the dad who assaulted his partner in the maternity hospital.
Serial shoplifter back in the dock
A serial shoplifter caught in a “cycle of repeat offending” went on an alcohol and food-stealing spree around Peterhead just four days after his release from prison.
Kieran McLean had just been released after serving eight months in jail for stealing more than £370 of items from five supermarkets in his home town, but four days later he began helping himself from the shelves once again.
Some of the shoplifting took place at Aldi in Peterhead.
The 26-year-old appeared from custody at Aberdeen Sheriff Court where he admitted six counts of shoplifting from the town’s Aldi, Asda and Cooperative food stores over the past week.
Last Tuesday alone he made off with alcohol from the Aldi store in Kirk Street and the Asda in Longside Road, as well as meat from the Co-op on Kinmundy Road.
Former Big Issue seller turned stalker
A former Big Issue seller who frightened two sisters with unwanted approaches over an eight-month period has been convicted of stalking.
Robert Bloomfield, 61, has now been ordered by the court to stay away from the siblings, who were 18 and 12 at the time of the offences, and will be sentenced on October 5.
Inverness Sheriff Court was told that Bloomfield of Campbell Court in Fort William, had a previous conviction for stalking a woman several years ago after he admitted one charge of stalking and another of causing fear and alarm yesterday.
Fiscal depute Martina Eastwood told Sheriff Margaret Neilson that Bloomfield first met the older girl on a bus in Fort William and engaged her in conversation, asking her several questions, including her name.
Ms Eastwood said the girl replied just to be polite.
Railway graffiti vandal
A vandal who spray-painted bizarre slogans all over Aberdeen Railway Station in broad daylight and in front of staff has been jailed for 50 days.
Sean Carbo scrawled “wap”, “acid” and “Pussy Riot” and “Jagermeister made me do it” in silver paint on the floor of the main concourse as well as a gate, a doorway, a bollard and a wall.
The 31-year-old then turned his attention to a British Transport Police vehicle in the car park, covering the windscreen in paint.
Man snared for sick pics
A 55-year-old man committed “forensic suicide” when he sent sick messages and pictures to “girls” he thought were young teenagers, a court has heard.
Anthony Williams was actually communicating with a member of a paedophile hunter group and another adult woman – who soon turned over the evidence to the police.
Despite downloading and distributing videos of young children being sexually abused Williams escaped being sent to jail when he appeared at Inverness Sheriff Court on Tuesday.
Williams, who previously lived in Kenneth Street, Inverness, but is understood to be now living in Drumnadrochit, also sent photographs of himself, gave his date of birth and sent a video of himself performing a sex act.
When his internet equipment was examined, the horrific videos were discovered.
His lawyer, solicitor advocate Shahid Latif said: “It was forensic suicide.”
Trial date set for Aberdeen terrorism trial
On Wednesday it was revealed that a man accused of planning to carry out terrorist acts will stand trial next year.
Richard Smith is charged with the offences, which are said to have occurred between August 2018 and November 2019 at different addresses in Aberdeen.
Prosecutors claim the 28-year-old “with the intention of carrying out acts of terrorism” did “engage in conduct” in the preparation of them.
This includes a claim he allegedly stated “all Muslims must die”.
Two months to steal … 12 years to repay
A man who secretly raided his girlfriend’s bank account and made off with more than £15,000 of her inheritance will spend the next 12 years paying her back.
Jordan Edwards has been ordered to pay his victim £100 a month for the next 147 months – taking him up to 2033.
He must also carry out 60 hours of unpaid work after his “opportunistic and calculating” crime.
Edwards was just 17 when he helped himself to thousands of pounds of his then-girlfriend’s cash.
Man threatened to throw 81-year-old wife out high-rise window
A drunk Aberdeen pensioner who threatened to throw his elderly wife out of a high-rise window has been ordered to get on top of his alcohol problem.
Patrick Rothwell, 71, was abusive towards his wife of 27 years on various occasions last June and one point said he would throw her from the window of their flat in Granitehill House.
Rothwell admitted two counts of behaving in a threatening and abusive manner at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and sentencing was deferred for background reports.
War hero seriously hurt in horror smash
A dangerous driver has avoided a prison sentence after causing a horrific smash on the A9 which left a Scottish war hero out of action.
Regimental sergeant major Ian Carlisle was travelling through Highland Perthshire when a van driven by Marvin Aryeetey crossed into his path.
The Inverness soldier, who serves with the 7th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland (7 Scots), tried to veer off the road but was unable to avoid a collision.
Both men were trapped inside their wrecked vehicles and had to be rescued by fire crews.
Man accused of serious assault
A man appeared in private at Inverness Sheriff Court on Wednesday on three charges, including one of assault to injury and danger of life.
Scott Thomson, 32, from Inverness, also faced accusations of assault to injury and threatening or abusive behaviour, alleged to have been committed in Moray.
He made no plea and was released on bail.
Tree harvester’s c-word rant
A man who used the c-word in a rant at his ex after she found a new partner has been fined £380 for breach of the peace.
Tain Sheriff Court heard that Ian Grant, 38, used the expletive during a short confrontation at the home of his ex-partner.
Grant, of Carnmhor Road, Bonar Bridge, admitted conducting himself in a disorderly manner, shouting, swearing and committing a breach of the peace on November 28 2020.
Fiscal Depute Pauline Gair told the court that on the night in question Grant’s ex-partner was at her home address with a friend when they began to receive text messages from the accused.
Shoplifter returned to scene of crime
A shoplifter couldn’t keep away from an Inverness supermarket – returning to nab booze five days after a previous theft.
Atif Baig, of Union Street, Inverness, appeared by video link from Barlinnie Prison where he is serving a sentence, to admit three charges of theft and two breaches of a bail curfew.
Inverness Sheriff Court was told that Baig was also being held by the UK’s Immigration officials.
The 32-year-old admitted stealing from Aldi on May 18 and May 23 last year.
He also pleaded guilty to stealing cosmetics and a watch from Debenham’s store in Eastgate on October 1, 2020.
Sentence was deferred until September 28.
Diver drifted at sea for 11 hours
On Thursday, a fishing firm was fined after one of its divers went missing for more than 11 hours and had to be rescued by a passing Russian ship as he drifted towards the Baltic.
Orkney Dived Scallops Ltd, admitted health and safety breaches over the terrifying incident at The Kist, South Ronaldsay.
Ivan Doychev and The Fair Morn scallop diving boat which the lost diver worked from.
The firm had been carrying out a scallop diving operation in the area when the incident happened.
A rope had become tangled in the vessel’s propeller, causing it to drift off while a diver remained in the water.
Assault in maternity hospital
A dad drunkenly assaulted his partner inside Aberdeen Maternity Hospital then punched another parent who ran to her aid.
Andrew Stenson lashed out at his partner inside their room at the hospital, where their child is being treated.
Brazen thefts and brazen threats
A man has been fined almost £400 for threatening to kill a neighbour and for carrying out two brazen city centre thefts.
Robert Murison pinched a wallet from a man in Caffe Nero on Union Street then tried to use a credit card from it in WH Smith minutes later.
A few weeks later the 38-year-old casually leaned over the counter of RS McColl on Union Street and helped himself to scratch cards from beside the till.
Drink-drive smash
A woman who crashed her pal’s car while more than three times the drink-drive limit has been banned from the road.
Pamela Knowles had been staying with her friend in the Bucksburn area in May and had been given the keys to the Citroen to retrieve something from the car.
The pair then drank alcohol together before Knowles went to visit a neighbour around 10pm.
100mph driver could lose HGV job
A young driver who hit speeds of 100mph on the Aberdeen bypass has held on to his licence but could still lose his job as a lorry driver.
Calum Robertson, an HGV driver for a national bakery chain, was caught driving his car at 100mph on the A90 Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route, well in excess of the 70mph speed limit.
The 24-year-old admitted a charge of careless driving, reduced from an earlier one of driving dangerously, near the A93 Peterculter bypass junction on March 29 this year.
Woman flees home covered in blood
A drunken dad-of-three assaulted his partner so badly she was found fleeing him on an Aberdeen street with her face and clothing covered in blood.
Norman Gardiner and his partner of 16 years had pals around to their Northfield home for drinks but the night turned nasty when became physically abusive at around 1am.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard how Gardiner had been drinking for “several hours” when he became argumentative and aggressive.
Son of tragic diver awarded compensation
On Friday, the young son of a diver who perished at a shipwreck was awarded £290,000 compensation after a judge ruled a ship captain didn’t do enough to minimise safety risks.
Lord Sandison awarded the sum to nine-year-old Vincent Warner in a judgment delivered on Friday at the Court of Session in Edinburgh.
His mother Debbie raised an action on Vincent’s behalf at Scotland’s highest civil court regarding how his dad Lex lost his life at Cape Wrath off the north coast of Scotland in August 2012.
Violent domestic abuser spared jail
A man who attacked his then partner with a Christmas tree during a campaign of violence that lasted more than five years has been spared jail.
Mark Allsopp, 52, was sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow after being convicted at a trial in Aberdeen of assaulting the woman to her injury between January 2013 and April 2018 at addresses in Nairn in the Highlands.
Prosecutors stated this included him “striking her on the body with an artificial Christmas tree”.
Judge Graham Buchanan ordered Allsopp to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work with him also being under supervision for 18 months.
Allsopp, of Nairn, had denied the accusations.
Golf club use to smash up property
A golf club-wielding yob who smashed the windows of a house in a brazen daylight attack has been handed a supervision order.
Andrew McGee was also armed with a “hammer-like tool” when he turned up outside a home on Aberdeen’s Urquhart Street at 10am on November 14 last year.
The 21-year-old smashed windows before fleeing when the householders emerged from the property.
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