The end of a busy week in the local courts.
‘Is that how you pronounce it?’
A drug driver caught motoring through a Perthshire town with illegal levels of cocaine in his system has been branded “a danger to the public”.
David Imrie was given a roadside test by traffic officers who detected a strong smell of cannabis.
At Perth Sheriff Court, the 47-year-old pled guilty to driving his Honda Civic near his home on Greenbank Road, Glenfarg, with 228 micogrammes of benzoylecgonine – the main metabolite of cocaine – per litre of blood, about four-and-a-half times the legal limit.
At the hearing, Imrie assisted Sheriff William Wood with the pronunciation of his drug of choice.
“Is that how you pronounce it?” the sheriff asked the court.
“Yes it is, my lord,” Imrie responded from the dock.
Fiscal Lisa Marshall said Imrie’s car was pulled over by police at 5.30pm on November 2, last year.
“He freely admitted he had been smoking cannabis,” she said.
After a positive roadside drug test, Imrie was taken into custody.
Sheriff Wood told him: “If you are driving around after doing cocaine then you are a danger to the public.”
He deferred sentence until November 24.
Robbery
Dundee man David Donald has been jailed after robbing a client of his sex worker girlfriend. The man said he had changed his mind about paying for Jennifer Whyte’s services but Donald stormed into his flat and demanded money. Whyte, who stole the man’s BMW, had sentence deferred.
Divorce proceeds
An Arbroath benefit cheat scammed £15,000 by failing to declare cash she had won in a divorce settlement.
Tracy McCagh swindled the five figure sum from the Department of Work and Pensions over a five-year period.
The 51-year-old knowingly gave false statements to officials at the Job Centre on Forfar’s Service Road and elsewhere between February 2015 and March 2019.
She declared to staff she had no capital and gained £6,000 in Jobseeker’s Allowance to which she was not entitled.
On another occasion in February 2014, McCagh, of Grange Road in Arbroath, lied about her capital to staff at Angus Council’s Bruce House office and elsewhere.
As a result, she received £9,000 in council tax reduction and housing benefit which she should not have been awarded.
Her solicitor Billy Rennie said McCagh had been through a “messy” divorce and had received some cash, which was in her account.
“Unfortunately, she never declared that. She’s paid back £5,000.”
He added she is still paying the sum back at £70 per month.
Sheriff Jillian Martin-Brown said: “For an amount of money £15,000 in total, custody is certainly an option.”
However, she issued a Restriction of Liberty Order, banning McCagh from leaving her home between 8pm and 8am each night for 150 days.
‘Stabbed police dog’
Joshua Sutherland, 19, has been accused of attempting to murder his partner with an axe and a police officer with a knife in St Andrews on Sunday. He also allegedly stabbed a police dog and struggled with five officers. He has made no plea.
Dragged by hair
A Dunfermline woman has admitted trying to drag another woman by the hair out of her Johnston Crescent home.
Kimberley Tracey pled guilty to assaulting Lorraine Brown on May 16.
After dragging her into the garden, Tracey, of Izatt Avenue, struggled with Ms Brown and attempted to punch her.
The attack left Ms Brown injured.
Tracey, who was not present at Dunfermline Sheriff Court in person, also admitted to shouting, swearing and behaving aggressively on the same date.
Sheriff Susan Duff deferred sentencing until November 29 for Tracey to attend in person.
Gambling addict
Cocaine-using gambling addict Claire Lowe stole £7000 from her grandparents to help fund her habit. Dunfermline Sheriff Court was told she took the money from a drawer in her grandparents’ home and her grandmother’s account.
Butted police van
A Dundee man who attacked his former partner than began smashing his head off the inside of a police van has been ordered to complete unpaid work.
Iain Garrick, of Madeira Street, previously admitted attacking his former partner at an address in Arbroath.
His lawyer Larry Flynn said the woman needed four stitches to close the wound left on her ear after he repeatedly punched her head.
While being taken from the Angus town to Dundee Police HQ, 46-year-old Garrick repeatedly struck his head off the inside of the police van.
At Forfar Sheriff Court, Sheriff Jillian Martin-Brown banned Garrick from contacting his victim for two years.
As an alternative to custody, she instructed Garrick to complete 200 hours of unpaid work in the next year.
In case you missed it…
Thursday round-up — Cinema solution and weighty charges
Wednesday round-up – Low winter sun
Tuesday round-up – Hammer and knocking c***s out
Monday round-up – Petrol bomb and rehab failure