A Perthshire greenkeeper who struck the kerb multiple times after being flagged down by police has lost his licence.
Niall Menzies pled guilty to driving with 67 mics of alcohol in his system – three times the limit of 22 – On January 8, on the A90.
Police driving behind him saw him swerving between the two lanes and at one point, had to brake to avoid a collision.
He was signalled to stop as they passed Middlebank, near Errol and Menzies, of Birnam, clipped the kerb “several times” as he pulled in.
Police noted a smell of alcohol and described him as slurring his words.
Solicitor Pauline Cullerton said the 43-year-old had had a hotel room booked in Dundee but was refused entry to it due to his late arrival and decided to drive home.
Sheriff Euan Duthie banned him for a year and fined him £520.
Train ban
A Montrose man who stole luggage on the train to Broughty Ferry has been told to expect a jail sentence and banned from his local line. Gordon Heron, 38, admitted stealing a suitcase from an unsuspecting passenger on the line between Montrose and Broughty Ferry in May this year.
Car park fireraising charge
A man charged with setting fire to a council van and 20 ticket machines at a Perth multi-storey car park has appeared in court.
William Black appeared in private from custody at Perth Sheriff Court.
He faces allegations that on July 20, he wilfully set fire to a van and the fire took effect and spread throughout Canal Street multi-storey car park.
Court papers say the fire went on to damage 20 parking ticket machines, air conditioning hardware and cabling.
The 27-year-old, of Princes Street in Perth, made no plea and will appear back in court in the near future.
He was remanded in custody by Sheriff Euan Duthie.
Axe threat
A pensioner told a campervanner parked near his Highland Perthshire home, the axe he was carrying was to “cut their neck”. Perth Sheriff Court heard 71-year-old John West “catastrophised” day-to-day situations and the parking complaint quickly escalated into chaos.
Co-op theft
Mark Brown, 35, from Kirkcaldy, who stole a grinder from contractors working at a Co-op in the town and admitted driving while disqualified, has avoided a prison sentence.
Procurator fiscal depute Lee-Anne Hannan told Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court two contractors noticed a grinder powertool missing from the store in the town’s Lauder Road at around midnight on July 31 2020.
The workers reviewed CCTV and saw Brown leaving with the grinder.
and a short time later, they stopped police officers to inform them.
Police in the area carrying out a search for a completely unrelated matter, were told and realised they had made contact with Brown earlier as he loosely matched the description of the person they were seeking.
Brown was traced in the town’s Wilson Avenue at around 1.25am.
He indicated the stolen grinder was at a friend’s address and it was returned to the contractors.
While waiting for the custody vehicle, Brown was also found to be in possession of just under £10 worth of cocaine.
Brown also admitted driving while disqualified and uninsured on the A915 road, near to Durie roundabout, on September 10 2021.
Sheriff Ian Anderson sentenced Brown, of Hendry Road, to 50 hours of unpaid work for the grinder theft.
He placed him on a structured deferred sentence until October 19 for driving while disqualified and banned him for 18 months.
Hit child
A woman who hit a child in the street in Perth claimed she had to act the way she did because the toddler was “having a meltdown”. Rebecca Shipman, 32, hauled the child off the ground by his arm and slapped him several times on the body in front of shocked onlookers.
Taxman faces jail
A sheriff told a Perth “Walter Mitty” accountant who cheated the HMRC out of £22,000 “he frankly doesn’t believe” claims an estranged brother has paid back the money.
Former taxman Derek Foster explained to Perth Sheriff Court he could not prove he had made amends because his brother had been making payments on his behalf.
He said he could not get proof from his brother because he does not get on with him.
Foster, 49, narrowly avoided being locked up when he appeared before Sheriff Euan Duthie.
Solicitor Pauline Cullerton explained HMRC had not replied to her emails asking if the money had been paid back.
Foster said his online tax account had been closed since an investigation into his affairs began.
He has completed the 300 hours of unpaid work and supervision imposed after being convicted but still faces imprisonment if the cash is not repaid.
Sheriff Duthie fixed another hearing on August 11 and told Foster if his explanation is fiction, he will receive a longer prison sentence.
He said: “It’s simply not good enough for you to come here without any type of vouching.
“I don’t believe you, frankly. I’m not going to believe you until you have vouching.
“The threat of custody remains here.”
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