Weekend court roll – a vicious rapper and a racist chip van owner

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

Domestic abuser spent Christmas Day behind bars

A domestic abuser spent Christmas Day behind bars after slapping and kicking his partner.

Kenneth McLaren assaulted the woman and left her lying on the floor of their Lossiemouth home on Christmas Eve last year, Elgin Sheriff Court was told.

Fiscal depute Shay Treanor said the woman had called her friend to report the abuse.

“She realised the complainer was distressed and she stated that the accused had slapped her a couple of times,” he said.

RAF gunner left man unconscious with one punch

A former RAF serviceman has been ordered to pay his victim £1,000 in compensation after his one-punch attack left the man unconscious on the pavement.

Jamie Simmons fled back into his RAF Lossiemouth base straight after the assault, which knocked out his victim’s tooth and sent the man to hospital.

Elgin Sheriff Court was told that Simmons encountered his victim getting out of a taxi with a woman outside the base at around 12.30am on July 30 2020.

The 31-year-old, a gunner in the RAF, reacted with a one-punch blow to the face, which caused the man to hit his head off the pavement.

Racist ordered to pay victim back for damage and hurt he caused

A racist who threw stones at an Indian takeaway owner and smashed his window has been ordered to pay his victim £600 for the damage and fear caused.

Sean McNamara, 25, was “angry and frustrated” following a family fallout when he started hurling abuse at the owner of Sunset Takeaway in Keith and smashed one of its windows.

Fiscal depute Victoria Silver told Elgin Sheriff Court the incident happened at 6.45pm on September 2 last year outside the Mid Street takeaway.

The business owner was working in the kitchen when he heard a loud smashing and banging out the back of the property.

Violent ex threw paving slab through woman’s window

A man who throttled his former partner and threw a slab through her mum’s front window has been jailed after he didn’t carry out his unpaid work.

William Norrie, 37, barged into the house and terrified his ex-girlfriend and her mother by trying to punch the younger woman before seizing her by the throat and choking her.

Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard the two women ultimately managed to remove Norrie from the house before he returned and threw a paving slab through the living room window.

Norrie had previously been given unpaid work as an alternative to a prison sentence for the offence, but had failed to carry out the community service.

Greedy property developer torched steading to claim £400k insurance

A cash-strapped Highland businessman who torched his own properties in a “calculated” attempt to con the insurance company out of £400,000 has been jailed for 13 months.

Michael Maggs’ steading project near Nairn had run over budget and over schedule and he saw the fire as a way to solve all his problems, Inverness Sheriff Court was told.

But when his six-figure claim was called into question by the insurance company and the police were called in, his illegal scheme fell apart.

Sheriff Eilidh Macdonald told the 52-year-old, of Beaufort, Culbokie, that it was a serious offence “which was a calculated fraud, involving premeditation and planning”.

Teacher cleared of domestic abuse

A north-east teacher cleared of domestic abuse has spoken of his relief that “the truth has finally been allowed to come to light”.

Timothy Browett,  a physics teacher at Banchory Academy, was accused of subjecting his wife Dr Elisha Browett to a six-month campaign of controlling and abusive behaviour.

However, following a four-day trial at Aberdeen Sheriff Court, he was cleared of all the charges after a sheriff deemed that the Crown had failed to offer any “credible evidence of any domestic abuse”.

Sheriff Eric Brown also said he was “not favourably impressed” by Mr Browett’s wife or her evidence.

Drink-driver ran away after causing head-on smash

An offshore worker who was driving his Mercedes Benz while more than double the alcohol limit veered into the opposing lane and caused a head-on collision.

Iain Mcdonald, 38, appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and admitted causing the crash before getting out of the car, checking the damage, waving at the other driver and running off.

The court heard that Mcdonald’s black Mercedes Benz spun 180 degrees into the opposing lane during the crash, forcing a third driver to take evasive action to avoid a second crash.

When police turned up at his home to arrest him he threatened them, telling officers his dog “would do whatever he told it to do”.

Trial next year for ex-Aberdeen restaurateur accused of murdering Pc

A former Aberdeen restaurateur extradited from Pakistan over the murder of Police Constable Sharon Beshenivsky 18 years ago may have to wait until next year to go on trial.

Piran Ditta Khan appeared at the Old Bailey by videolink from Belmarsh top security jail on Monday for the preliminary hearing before Judge Mark Lucraft KC.

The judge, who is the Recorder of London, set a timetable for the preparation of the case with a plea hearing on July 14 provisionally at the Old Bailey before him.

A trial fixture of up to six weeks could not be accommodated at the Old Bailey before January 2024, the court heard.

Murder trial of Mintlaw man set to start next month

The murder trial of a Mintlaw man accused of shooting dead his disabled wife is scheduled to go ahead next month, the prosecutor in America has confirmed.

Wayne Fraser, who moved away from the north-east to start a new life abroad, is charged with the first-degree murder of his wheelchair-bound partner.

It’s alleged that the 47-year-old killed Natalie Ryan-Fraser, 55, with the handgun that was recovered from the scene of a shooting in the town of Caledonia in December 2021.

District Attorney Scott Colum, the man leading Fraser’s prosecution, told the Press Journal: “Unless something changes, we plan to have it ready for trial on May 22.

Jail for £75,000 scratchcard swindler

A greedy petrol station cashier who embezzled more than £75,000 by faking scratchcard wins has been jailed.

Carol-Anne Scroggie admitted siphoning off the huge sum and pocketing the cash while working at Watermill Filling Station in Fraserburgh.

Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard the 31-year-old took advantage of her position by putting non-existent lottery scratchcard wins through the system before keeping the cash for herself.

When she was eventually caught and confronted by the petrol station’s owners, Scroggie said she started embezzling the cash after getting into financial difficulties but continued “due to greed”.

Highland man raped woman as she drifted in and out of consciousness

A man raped a sleeping woman before sexually assaulting another victim in the Highlands months later.

Peter MacKenzie first struck at a flat in Glasgow’s Maryhill on January 14 2020.

The 27-year-old had been out for dinner before later ending up there with others.

MacKenzie – described as working in the hospitality industry – was eventually alone with a 26-year-old woman.

Naked knifeman attacked ex with axe

A naked knifeman who wounded a police dog and tried to stab its handler after attacking a St Andrews University student with an axe told officers after he was detained: “I should’ve chopped her up”.

Joshua Sutherland, who is originally from Inverness, hit his former girlfriend Rosie Gittings on the head with the axe before appearing dressed just in boxer shorts at a golf course in the Fife town.

Sutherland, 20, was then spotted on the Fife coastal path armed with a knife and having shed the final garment.

Footage filmed from a police helicopter was shown to a judge on Tuesday as the clearly naked Sutherland brandished the knife and refused to drop the weapon before finally being apprehended.

Man in the dock over alleged serious assault in Soul

A man has appeared in court in connection with an alleged serious assault in a busy Aberdeen nightspot.

Police were called to Soul on Union Street in the early hours of Saturday March 18 following reports of an assault.

A 49-year-old man was injured in the incident, which was captured on CCTV.

The footage shows the bar was busy with customers and the injured man initially appeared motionless on the ground near the bar while people attempted to help him.

Man apologises to residents after performing sex act in high heels

A man who was caught performing a solo sex act in a Stonehaven alleyway while wearing a thong and high heels has said he “regrets” his actions.

Ryan McAndrew was spotted by members of the community while parading around the backstreets of the fishing town in cream or gold-coloured heels and woman’s underwear.

The 38-year-old then lowered his thong and carried out a sexual act in the street.

He then went on to carry out similar indecent behaviour in another Stonehaven alleyway just over a month later.

Former RAF man jailed after he took indecent photograph of child

A former RAF man who served with the search and rescue helicopters has been jailed for 21 months after being caught with indecent images of children.

Married Andrew Burton, of Lochhills, Elgin, took one of the photographs himself of a seven-year-old girl he knew with her genitals exposed, Inverness Sheriff Court was told.

When police arrested the 55-year-old first offender he told them: “That was rather silly of me.”

Sentencing him, Sheriff Sara Matheson said: “This involved a gross breach of trust.”

Man talks himself into prison after fiery exchange with sheriff

A man talked his way into a jail sentence during fiery exchange with a sheriff in an Aberdeen court.

Peter McCaffrey had appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court over two minor assaults on police officers.

During the course of the hearing, it looked likely that the 60-year-old’s sentence would be deferred for reports and he’d be allowed to walk free.

However, McCaffrey repeated interrupted proceedings and persistently asked Sheriff Andrew Miller: “Do I look worried?”

Careless van driver admits killing Moray motorcyclist

A careless van driver killed a biker by moving into the path of his oncoming motorcycle, throwing the rider over the vehicle’s roof.

The impact left Paul Fairbairn lying fatally injured on the A941 Elgin to Rothes road at Fogwatt on June 8 2021.

After being rushed to Dr Gray’s Hospital, the 44-year-old father of two was pronounced dead a short time later.

Gary Lowe, 56, who had been driving the Citroen Berlingo southbound at the time of the crash, has now admitted to causing death by careless driving.

‘Predatory’ paedophile bragged about sexually abusing children

A Fraserburgh paedophile who sent vile sexual messages to young girls and bragged about sexually abusing children in real life has been jailed.

Shaun Summers’ sickening sexual obsession with children came to light when he was stung by an online vigilante group that had set up a decoy child profile.

But when the police examined the 27-year-old’s devices they found a catalogue of horrific chat logs with underage girls in which he stated he was “deadly serious” about sexually abusing children.

He also gave children graphic instructions on how to perform sex acts and encouraged them to send him explicit images.

Friends jailed for total of 142 months after rampage of violence in pubs

Four people who carried out “vicious, prolonged and unprovoked” assaults on staff and customers in two Moray pubs have been jailed for a total of 142 months.

Debbie Baillie, Kirstie Kelly (also known as Balcezak), Anthony McPhee and Lee McPhee were appearing for sentence at Inverness Sheriff Court.

The court heard that there were five different victims, including two women, in Keith’s Crown Inn and Commercial Hotel after the incidents on February 16 last year.

CCTV of the attacks was played to Sheriff Sara Matheson, who said she was shocked by the level of violence.

Amazon delivery driver’s £25k cannabis farm

An Amazon delivery driver who grew cannabis in his van and lock-up garage created a crop with a potential street value of £25,000.

Scott Downie, from Aberdeen, was caught when the owner of the garage near Forfar noticed the unit was racking up huge electricity bills for a storage space.

When officers raided the storage unit they discovered the cannabis farm, along with hundreds of ecstasy tablets and an illicit bullet cartridge.

Fiscal depute Lynn Mannion said a farm owner rented out the garage to Downie, 48, in April 2020 and he was given the only spare key.

Gamekeeper cleared after police lied about investigation

A gamekeeper has been cleared of illegally trapping a protected bird after it emerged police officers lied during the course of the investigation.

The case against Terry Lindsay collapsed when Sheriff Robert McDonald heard evidence that officers misled two people about why they were on the Fyvie Estate.

Police had received a tip-off that a sparrowhawk was “beside” a Larsen trap but lied to estate staff about why they were there – instead saying it was to look for a missing person.

Sheriff McDonald said that “outright lie” made the police officers’ evidence inadmissible and acquitted Mr Lindsay, 40, less than an hour after the trial started at Banff Sheriff Court.

Stalker sent victim image of herself carrying out sex act on another man

A jilted woman who became obsessed with her victim after only one date threatened to burn down his mum’s home and forwarded a picture of her carrying out a sex act on another man.

Toni Nicol appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and admitted stalking the man by calling him more than 50 times in one morning and telling him: “It’s about to get worse if you don’t call me”.

As the calls and messages continued, the 31-year-old then threatened to smash up the man’s car and “burn his mum’s house down” and even sent a picture of her performing oral sex.

Fiscal depute Tom Procter that the pair had one meeting but added that it was “just a potential relationship” that never materialised.

Student guilty of drink-driving after drunkenly releasing handbrake

A student who sat in his car after losing his jacket and keys was technically guilty of drink-driving when he drunkenly released the handbrake.

Laaz Fakey rolled forward “two or three feet” before reapplying the brake – but that was enough to be guilty of the offence in the eyes of the law.

The 25-year-old engineering student had been on a night out in Aberdeen city centre but returned to his car on Windmill Brae after losing his jacket and keys.

Without the keys, he would have been unable to start the vehicle’s engine but the car did roll forward slightly when he drunkenly released the handbrake.

Mugger accepted £2 bank transfer

An Aberdeen mugger was forced to accept a £2 bank transfer after his 17-year-old victim told him he had no cash.

Craig Taylor, 33, used a large serrated kitchen knife to intimidate the boy – and then provided him with his full name and bank account details.

Police officers took no time to use that information to track down Taylor and he was soon arrested, Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told.

Taylor, who committed the offence while on early release from prison, has now been returned to custody and had more than two years added to his sentence.

Building firm fined over worker’s roof fall

A Shetland building contractor has been fined £9,000 for serious health and safety failings that left a worker with severe injuries.

Whiteness-based G&A Leask pleaded guilty to a breach of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 at Lerwick Sheriff Court today.

Company employee Thomas Marshall, then aged 22, fell more than four metres from an unprotected roof on the afternoon of 30 October 2018.

He suffered severe traumatic brain injury along with vertebrae fractures and a broken collarbone.

Chip van owner fears ‘racism’ record will harm job prospects

A fish and chips van owner who “racially” abused his neighbour fears his criminal record will upstage an upcoming job interview.

Ronald Watt called his German neighbour a “Nazi b******” and told him to “f*** off back to Germany”.

He was allowed to walk free from court without punishment, but the “racially aggravated” incident will still be recorded on his criminal record.

The 56-year-old was admonished at Banff Sheriff Court after obeying an order to be of good behaviour for six months.

Thief stole collection tin from church

A thief who broke into an Aberdeen church and stole money from a collection tin, as well as more than £2,000 of IT equipment, has been jailed.

Lee Anderson, 42, snuck into the office of Gerrard Street Baptist Church and rifled through drawers and cupboards before fleeing with two laptops, a tablet and £20 from a collection tin.

His solicitor said the serial housebreaker now wants to “atone for what he did and move on”.

In a separate incident, Anderson assaulted a warehouse worker and dragged a Stanley knife over his own neck.

Aerosol prank burned party-goer

A man lit the spray from an aerosol can and burned a sleeping party-goer with the flame in a “very reckless” drunken prank gone wrong.

David Sandison has admitted to culpably and recklessly injuring a man by burning his body at an address in Scalloway, Shetland.

The 26-year-old appeared in the dock at Lerwick Sheriff Court on Thursday, following his irresponsible behaviour on July 24 last year.

Both men were at a party after being at another social event and, after the pair had been drinking, Sandison’s victim then fell asleep on a couch in the early hours.

Engineer made racist, terrorist and cannibal threats

An engineer sent bizarre messages to companies – claiming to be an ISIS terrorist, a racist who hates black people and a cannibal.

Enqian Liu used friends’ details to contact Australian and British businesses, mainly salons and fitness firms, which he wrongly believed were fake.

The 33-year-old’s offensive communications were part of a “prank” over a three-day period, Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told.

Defending Liu, his lawyer said that her “very remorseful” client “was drunk and just saying stupid things” in messages that “do not reflect his beliefs”.

Offshore worker’s sexually explicit video call to recruiter

An offshore welder has been placed on the sex offenders register after he made an explicit video call to a female recruiter who had contacted him about a job.

John Souter, 40, appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and admitted repeatedly calling the woman before making the video call where he could be seen touching himself in a bathroom.

Souter, who has previous sexual offence and public indecency convictions, then forwarded the woman two graphic sexual images.

When challenged over the conduct by the woman’s partner, Souter stated: “Oops, sorry, wrong person.”

Man in court after £43,000 cannabis seizure

A man has appeared in court after more than £40,000 worth of cannabis was recovered from a property in Aberdeenshire.

Police confiscated a large number of cannabis plants that were being grown at a rural property near Insch.

After searching the property on Tuesday, officers collected over £43,000 worth of the drug and took it into evidence.

On Thursday, Deivis Halili, appeared in private at Aberdeen Sheriff Court charged in connection with the matter.

Man assaulted estranged wife at marital home

A man assaulted his estranged wife as the pair were making arrangements to sell their marital home, a court has been told.

Michael Bolger pushed his wife when she tried to get into the former couple’s home in Alvah to show a window surveyor around.

The 54-year-old and his wife had previously disagreed about what work needed to be carried out at the property before its sale.

When she arrived with the surveyor, on May 22 this year, she was unable to open the door with her key, forcing her to knock and face her husband.

Abused woman had to contact friend by 1p bank transfers

A woman resorted to sending 1p bank transfers to message her friend in secret to avoid getting into trouble with her controlling boyfriend.

Paul Reid subjected his long-suffering partner to terrifying violent attacks.

The 37-year-old restricted her interaction with others, forcing her to go to extreme lengths to keep in touch with loved ones.

On one occasion, Reid pushed the woman against a wall while she was pregnant and then choked her for 40 seconds while she gasped for breath.

Robber stole £20,000 luxury watch to ‘feed his family for a year’

A wealthy Aberdeen pensioner was violently attacked as he slept in his bed by a home invader who told him: “I’m going to kill you”.

Ashley Beckwith held a screwdriver to the 68-year-old’s neck during the terrifying ordeal.

The 33-year-old then dragged his victim through the man’s home, robbing him of luxury items including a Patek Phillipe watch worth around £20,000.

As Beckwith removed the luxury watch from his victim’s wrist, he remarked: “That watch will feed my family for a year”.

Man blamed unknown ‘twin brother’

A man who was caught on camera sneaking into a locked tradesman’s yard told police the person in the footage “could be his twin brother”.

Security camera video showed Allan Moir climbing on and looking around equipment in the Tony Weir Fencing Contractor yard on the outskirts of Elgin.

The 37-year-old was seen poking around vehicles including a tractor and a lorry, although he didn’t steal anything.

Moir later denied being at the scene when questioned by the police, who had been given CCTV camera evidence by the business owner.

Loose scaffolding board killed pensioner

A careless van driver killed a pensioner when a scaffolding board came loose on his vehicle and struck an oncoming camper van.

Donald Maclean, 54, failed to notice the board sticking out from his tipper van over the opposing carriageway.

The protruding board struck 72-year-old Philip Kingsley Walker’s head as it smashed into the camper van that he was driving along the A858 on the Isle of Lewis.

Mr Walker was so severely wounded when the board entered the driver’s window frame that he died from the injuries.

Rapper gutted man with machete

A rapper has been jailed for seven years after inflicting horrific injuries on two men with a machete.

Louis Stacey, 23, assaulted Stephen Ritchie and Gordon Graham with the bladed weapon during a confrontation in Fraserburgh, on December 27 2020.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard how the injury inflicted by Stacey on Mr Ritchie was so bad that his internal organs were left exposed and his bowel was cut apart.

Medics at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary managed to save Mr Ritchie’s life, but consultants who treated him reckoned he was just hours from death.

Group scarred man for life in row over £50

A group of men ambushed a man at a property in Aberdeen and scarred him for life in a row over £50, a court has heard.

Mohammed Abdirahman, 25, and others pounced on David Adams on January 6 2022.

The group stormed the premises while hunting for Mr Adams, who was branded a “robbing scumbag”.

The men punched and kicked Mr Adams, struck him on the knees with a beer bottle, and left him with multiple stab wounds that will permanently scar him.

Jilted boyfriend drew heart on ex’s door and left love note on letterbox

A dumped boyfriend drew a heart on his ex’s door and stuck a love note on her letterbox, refusing to accept their relationship was over.

Bryan Anderson, 55, also sent the woman multiple emails after she blocked his phone number.

On one occasion, in the middle of the night, he left a black umbrella on her Forres doorstep.

The woman was “alarmed” by Anderson’s “mind games”, Elgin Sheriff Court was told.

Robber held screwdriver to clubber’s throat

An Aberdeen man grabbed a city centre nightclubber and held a screwdriver to his throat while demanding money from his friends.

Paul Harper, 34, walked up behind a group of people as they made their way home from a nightclub.

Armed with a screwdriver, he then instigated a terrifying ordeal in the area of the city’s Mounthooly Way.

Harper repeatedly demanded the precise sum of £400 before grabbing one group member’s £1,000 iPhone and running off.

More jail time for sex offender who tried to slit his throat in court

A sex offender who smuggled a knife into a court and tried to slit his throat as he was imprisoned has had 32 months added to his jail time.

Robin Parker had just been handed a 14-month prison sentence when he removed the concealed blade from his clothing and held it to his throat on December 20 last year.

Parker told Inverness Sheriff Court: “I am not going to prison” and drew the blade across his neck, suffering only superficial cuts that didn’t need hospital treatment.

The 55-year-old was overpowered by court officials, police and a prisoner custody officer, who restrained the father of five, seized the knife and brought the situation under control.

Group of children attacked man

Two teenagers who attacked a man and put him in hospital have been warned to behave themselves or they’ll spend Christmas in jail.

The boy and girl, both 16, were part of a group of children who set on their victim as he walked to work.

It had earlier been claimed by the girl involved in the assault that the man had sexually assaulted her, triggering the young mob’s brutality.

They rained blows on him as he lay on the ground in the foetal position, Elgin Sheriff Court was told.

Woman stabbed herself and accused neighbour

A woman who accused a neighbour of stabbing her in the stomach later confessed that she had done it to herself.

Michele Smith caused her innocent neighbour to be taken into police custody for around four hours.

The 57-year-old’s false allegations wasted 43 hours of police time as 13 officers were tied up responding to her lie on April 6 2021.

It led to her and her neighbour’s flats on Aberdeen’s Tay Road being locked down while a huge police presence investigated the scenes.

Divorce threat ‘pushed’ offshore worker into 24-hour drink spree

An offshore worker who drunkenly drove into a roundabout before fleeing the scene was more than four times the legal limit for alcohol.

Martyn Anderson drove home in the dark with no headlights on after drinking alcohol over a 24-hour period before getting behind the wheel.

The 37-year-old ploughed into a roundabout and a road sign before fleeing his Mitsubishi and leaving the crash scene.

Anderson had finished his last drink around 20 minutes before the alcohol-induced collision, Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told.