Tuesday courts round-up – Pensioner fit for murder trial and victim of racist abuse speaks out

Good evening – here are the stories that caught the attention of our reporters today.

Man, 80, fit to stand trial accused of murdering Inverness mum Renee MacRae

An 80-year-old man has been judged fit to stand trial accused of murdering Inverness mum Renee MacRae and her son Andrew, who disappeared in 1976.

William MacDowell will be tried by a jury for the alleged crimes at the High Court in Inverness next September.

Ms MacRae’s disappearance – along with that of her three-year-old son, Andrew – is currently the United Kingdom’s longest-running missing persons case.

MacDowell’s trial will hear evidence from beyond the grave in the form of police statements given by witnesses who have since died.

Driver fined over A90 crash which saw cars spin out of control

A driver has been fined after hitting another car at high speed on the A90, causing both vehicles to spin out of control.

Glasgow man Lateef Rehman, 40, appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and admitted careless driving on the A90 Toll of Birness to Hatton Road, Aberdeenshire, in order to overtake a number of queuing cars, causing him to collide with another vehicle.

He also pleaded guilty to driving without the correct insurance.

The court heard how on the evening of February 12 last year a witness saw Rehman’s vehicle overtake a number of cars that were slowing down as he attempted to move into the right-hand lane.

Victim of racist Aberdeen teen speaks out after receiving abuse on walk home

An Aberdeen man who was told “go back to your own country” by a racist teenager has said he is “not angry”.

Gabriel Ogalde-Gallardo was branded “curry-munching” and told to go back to Pakistan by Theo De Geus, 19, despite being born in Chile and having lived in Aberdeen for nearly 15 years.

Mr Ogalde-Gallardo spoke out after De Geus appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and admitted hurling racist abuse and threatening violence towards him on October 30 this year.

De Geus, who was also on bail at the time, also pleaded guilty to breaching a curfew condition.

Ross-shire drink-driver jailed after being caught for fifth time

A repeat drink-driver has been thrown in jail after being caught for the fifth time.

Robert Johnston’s record was branded “appalling” by Sheriff Margaret Neilson when he appeared in the dock before her over the latest offence.

The 37-year-old, of Railway Terrace, Kyle of Lochalsh, pled guilty to stealing a car at the weekend in Kyle while drunk and while banned from driving.

The offence took place on Friday night and a breath test revealed he was just over three times the legal alcohol limit, with a reading of 67 microgrammes of alcohol in 100ml of breath.

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