A pensioner is to stand trial accused of threatening Nicola Sturgeon.
William Curtis is also charged with being involved in the assault and abduction of a sheriff as well as sending a video in connection with the murder of MP Jo Cox to another nationalist politician.
The 69-year-old, from Aberchirder, near Banff, faced the claims at the High Court in Glasgow.
The indictment alleges he sent emails and posted social media messages making “threatening remarks” to the First Minister between February 27 and March 6 2019.
It is said this would likely have caused “fear and alarm”.
Alleged threats to MP
Curtis is then accused of acting in a similar manner towards former Banffshire and Buchan Coast MSP Stewart Stevenson.
This charge claims on March 9 2019 the OAP sent a threatening online message which also contained a link to a video relating to the killing of Labour MP Jo Cox.
Both offences are said to have occurred at an address in Aberchirder.
Curtis is also charged – along with 60-year-old Philip Mitchell, from Macduff – of attacking Sheriff Robert McDonald on June 29 2021.
The incident is said to have happened in St Mary’s car park in Banff, the town where Sheriff McDonald presides.
It is claimed the pair assaulted and abducted him by grabbing him, pulling him to the ground and sitting on top of him, detaining him against his will.
Curtis alone faces two further charges of behaving in a threatening and abusive manner.
Both he and Mitchell represented themselves.
Curtis pled not guilty but Mitchell said he was not entering a plea to the charge he faces.
Trial date set for Inverness
In lengthy submissions to Lord Doherty, Mitchell said he was facing “unlawful proceedings” and he had been “forced” to act on his own behalf in court.
At one stage, the judge told Mitchell he had repeated a remark “at least 10 times”.
Lord Doherty went on state that it was “imperative” a trial be fixed and set a date of January 9 next year in Inverness.
