A Dundee man who was five times the drink drive legal limit was warned he could have been jailed.
Jacek Ruznica, 45, of Dens Road, was pulled over in North Isla Street on April 14 by police.
He provided a breath alcohol reading of 127mics/22.
Sentencing him to unpaid work, Sheriff George Way said: “I hope you understand your long life of heavy drinking has taken its toll.
“I know you were three years sober and relapsed.
“This was a high reading.
“The unpaid work I intend on imposing on you will be a direct alternative to custody, particularly if you are foolish enough to get behind the wheel of a car.
“It would have been disqualification for 30 months but I will reduce it to 20 because of your early plea.
“You will carry out 100 hours unpaid work, reduced from 100.”
Hitting the brakes
A drunken motorist was more than seven times the legal limit when he brought his car to a sudden halt on the A9. Donald Macaulay inexplicably hit the brakes as he travelled in a line of rush hour traffic through rural Perthshire. He was banned and placed under supervision.
Yoghurt yob
A man suspected of pilfering yoghurts from a Fife supermarket has been jailed after threatening to infect security staff with Covid-19 and stab them with a needle.
HMP Edinburgh inmate Robert Burns, 41, appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court by video link to admit acting threateningly on January 27.
Fiscal depute Stewart Duncan explained Burns had been suspected of sneaking yoghurts into a carrier bag at Kirkcaldy’s Asda supermarket.
He was confronted by staff members as he tried to leave and began to struggle.
Burns told the employees he had Covid and would infect them.
He also reached into his pocket and said: “I’ve got a needle in my pocket, I’ll stab you with it.”
A shopper helped bring Burns to the ground and he was arrested by police.
The court heard Burns had only been liberated from an eight-month prison sentence in October.
His solicitor Eilidh Grant said: “He was struggling significantly with addiction to cocaine at the time.
“He had been under the influence on the date libelled and hadn’t sought any help at this point.”
Sheriff Maryam Labaki jailed father-of-one Burns for 18 months.
She said: “Your behaviour was disgusting and must have been terrifying for the staff who had to deal with you on that day.”
Young sex attacker
A Fife teenager began sexually assaulting a young girl when he as just 12-years-old avoided a prison sentence. Logan Duffin, now 19, also attacked a second girl, Dunfermline Sheriff Court heard.
Extortionists
Two people from Buckhaven have been sentenced after admitting extorting hundreds of pounds out of a Fife man.
Drew Clark was jailed and Kelly Collins was placed on community payback and restriction of liberty orders at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court.
Over almost three weeks in December 2020, 28-year-old Clark extorted the man, whose identity is protected by an anonymity order, by making telephone calls and sending him messages.
Clark pretended he would delete naked photographs of the man in exchange for money.
He also threatened to disclose the man’s personal details, as well as attending his home address.
35-year-old Collins admitted doing the same to the man, from July until December.
Clark was able to extort £600 from the man and Collins took £1,550 from him.
At a previous hearing, fiscal depute Claire Bremner said: “On the face of it, this is a fairly straightforward and rather unpleasant extortion.”
Both, of Victoria Road in Buckhaven, appeared before Sheriff James Williamson to be sentenced, with Clark having been remanded in custody at the previous hearing.
Clark was jailed for 21 months, while Collins was placed under supervision for two years, a 7pm to 7am curfew for six months and instructed to complete 225 hours of unpaid work.
Rapist dies in prison
Convicted Fife rapist David Ferguson has died in prison. Ferguson was jailed for 10 years in August for the “utterly appalling” abuse of two victims he subjected to repeated rape ordeals. He died on Saturday in HMP Edinburgh.
Police abuse
A Perth teenager who shouted homophobic abuse at police officers after he was chucked out of a nightclub has been fined £200.
Rogan Telford threatened cops during a city centre flare-up on December 11 2021.
Perth Sheriff Court heard police on patrol in South Street saw 19-year-old Telford being escorted out of The Loft.
He had been refusing to leave and was heard shouting “f*** off” to door staff.
Police attempted to calm him down but he began to shout and swear.
He called one officer a “f***ing poof.”
They managed to get him on the ground and apply handcuffs.
Telford, of Hermitage Drive earlier pled guilty by letter to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner.
He further admitted restricting, obstructing or hindering three officers and struggling violently with them.
Solicitor Pauline Cullerton, defending and apologising on her client’s behalf, said Telford had not touched alcohol since that night.
The full caseload of the Dundee Crime and Courts Team can be found here.
