Blairgowrie man jailed for trying to prevent witness testifying

A man has been jailed for six months after trying to prevent a witness from testifying against his brother.

Robert Roy Stewart MacGregor, 28, admitted attempting to pervert the course of justice by phoning the witness, Craig Carmichael, on July 1 this year.

Solicitor Steve Lafferty, defending, urged Sheriff Alastair Brown to be lenient on MacGregor, of Forest Way, Blairgowrie, as he employed seven people who were dependant on him for their livelihoods.

He also said that MacGregor’s son was at a “delicate” time in his schooling and the absence of his father would have an impact on the child.

But Sheriff Brown rejected his argument and imposed a prison sentence.

He said: “It falls to me to sentence you for what you did, not to use you as a vehicle for a message for the community.

“You made a serious attempt a deliberate attempt to pervert the course of justice. Those who make such attempts should know that prison is a highly likely outcome.

“I find no mitigating circumstances.”