A Dundee drug dealer will spend even more time behind bars after he was caught with a second illegal SIM card at HMP Perth.
It is the fourth time Kurt De’Cruz was found with an unauthorised communications device in jail.
Last month, he had his sentence extended by eight months after guards found the contraband SIM inside a state-issued phone in November, last year.
The 32-year-old appeared at Perth Sheriff Court again – via video link – and admitted having another SIM at the jail on February 25.
Fiscal depute Nicole Lewis said the card was found during a routine search of De’Cruz’s cell.
Solicitor Billy Watt, defending, said: “He was going through a particularly bad time, with his parole recently being refused.”
The court heard he was using the phone to stay in touch with friends and family.
Mr said: “He has been spending his time well, engaging in education and has been enjoying maths, English and cooking.
“He certainly won’t be undertaking in this type of behaviour again.”
Sheriff Mark O’Hanlon sentenced De’Cruz to four months imprisonment, to run consecutively with his current sentence.
De’Cruz was locked up in 2018 for his role in the trade of nearly £500,000 of cocaine and cannabis in Dundee.
‘Let down’ by system
A transgender woman who was battered to the ground and subjected to a chilling death threat says the justice system has “let down” both her and the Trans community in Scotland after the thugs responsible avoided prison sentences.
Miss Transgender 2019 Aria Welsh, from Perth, was battered to the ground, bottled and stamped on in Dunfermline by Ceiryn Meade, 22, and Mark Jeffrey, 33, both from Rosyth.
They were given supervision, curfews and unpaid work for the hate crime, during which they were heard to say they would kill Aria as they did not want transgender people in their town.
Drunken outburst
A Perth man whose terrifying drunken outburst forced his girlfriend to hide in the bathroom has escaped punishment.
Michael Donald was arrested after flying into a rage at his Barossa Street home in the early hours of December 18.
Perth Sheriff Court heard he began ranting, swearing and shouting abusive remarks after returning home from a Christmas night out.
He called his partner as “sket” and a “slag,” kicked over a table and threw things around the house.
Donald was locked up days later after he breached a strict court order to stay away from his girlfriend.
The 32-year-old admitted a charge of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner.
He also pled guilty to failing to comply with an undertaking.
Sheriff William Wood told him: “You come before the court for the first time at 32 years.
“Reading between the lines, this was an incident of situational violence rather than something indicative of the dynamic between you and your partner.
“I am going to give you the benefit of the doubt, without playing down in any way the inappropriateness of what happened.”
Admonishing Donald, Sheriff Wood said: “You are not the sort of person who routinely gets into trouble.”
The sheriff said a non-harassment order was not necessary.
Solicitor Mike Tavendale told the court: “He has certainly learned his lesson.”
Sent and deleted pics
A sex offender was caught red-handed when a graphic image of a youngster appeared on his phone while police were installing monitoring equipment on it. Francis Burns, who sent explicit photographs on social media, claimed he had deleted pictures because he was “embarrassed that the police would see his penis”.
Stalker
A 27-year-old Glenrothes man has admitted stalking his former partner.
Ian Blair, of the town’s Earlston Way, pled guilty to engaging in a course of conduct which caused the woman fear and alarm between March 26 and May 11 this year.
Court papers state he repeatedly tried to contact her by phone, email and Facebook Messenger and uttered threats of violence and threats to self-harm.
He persisted in doing this despite being told to cease contact.
Blair appeared at Dunfermline Sheriff Court to admit the charge, contrary to Section 39(1) of the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010.
He was self-represented rather than having a lawyer in court.
Sheriff Charles Macnair adjourned sentencing until July 20 for the production of background reports.
The full caseload of the Dundee Crime and Courts Team can be found here.
