An animal lover who threatened a Montrose hairdresser after seeing red over a Rabbie Burns fox fur window display has been ordered to pay £500 compensation for daubing the premises with gloss paint.
Simon Drahony has barged into the 3sixty salon on the Angus town’s Murray Street at the end of January after taking offence over the tribute to the Bard which included a window mannequin with a tartan bodice, a skirt made out of wigs and the century-old fur, which belonged to a member of staff’s great-grandmother.
He told shop owner Dawn Kerr to remove the display, returning a week later with a 24-hour ultimatum.
But 58-year-old Drahony was infuriated when police activity over the incident made the headlines and he took a tin of red gloss paint to the shop’s frontage on February 1.
Drahony, of Little Nursery, Montrose had previously pled guilty to the offence but tragically could not appear for an earlier hearing because of the untimely death of his son, who was in his early 30s.
At Forfar Sheriff Court, defence solicitor Nick Markowski said the loss was a significant factor in what had so far been a “traumatic year” for the first-offender in light of the “odd” crime.
“He has a number of passions, one of which is caring for animals and he runs a sanctuary for small animals in Montrose and has hamsters, mice, rats, gerbils and guinea pigs.
“The display was for Burns night and I’m not a Burns scholar but he might be someone described as a conservationist and humanist before those terms were even invented,” added Mr Markowski.
“He went into the shop, made his views known and it all blew out of proportion.
“He has been a law-abiding citizen all his life and is embarrassed and ashamed. He accepts that the owner of the shop would have been alarmed.”
Sheriff Murray told Drahony: “I regard this as particularly serious.
“You are perfectly entitled to hold your views, but you are not entitled to do is demonstrate them to others in the way you did.
“The criminal justice report indicates your embarrassment and remorse.”
Drahony was ordered to complete 100 hours unpaid work under an 18-month Community Payback Order and pay £500 compensation to the shop owner.
