A Fife teaching student drove carelessly at a pedestrian crossing between two primary schools by failing to anticipate the lights changing from amber to red.
Dunfermline Sheriff Court heard driver Euan McGuire caused a lollipop man to step back off the road onto the central reservation between Camdean and King’s Road schools in Rosyth.
Procurator fiscal depute Michael Robertson said the incident took place around 2:55pm on December 14 last year.
McGuire, 23, appeared in court to admit driving a car carelessly and without due care and attention while approaching the pedestrian crossing traffic signals in King’s Road.
Defence lawyer Stephen Morrison said the error of judgement was in not anticipating the changing of the lights, which switched from amber to red just as he reached the crossing.
The solicitor said: “He (McGuire) felt it was better to press on.”
The speed limit was 20mph at the time, as schools were coming out, and though McGuire was sticking to the limit he accepts he may have exceeded that when driving through the crossing.
Mr Morrison also stressed McGuire’s car was in the left lane of the dual carriageway, furthest from the central reservation where the patrol crossing officer had been standing.
The court heard the lollipop man had only made one step onto the road before stepping back off again.
Although other pedestrians were waiting to cross, none had entered the road.
Mr Morrison said McGuire, of Dunfermline’s Nithsdale Place, is studying primary teacher training at Stirling University and uses the car every day to attend his course.
The solicitor added: “He presents to me as a conscientious young man and I would like to think a salutary lesson has been learned by the whole court process.”
Sheriff David Hall fined McGuire £450.
Sentence extension
A would-be armed robber was caught with an illegal SIM card in Perth Prison just days after he was jailed for attacking a taxi driver in Kirkcaldy.
James Ross was caged for 28 months after he admitted assaulting cabbie Vitauts Zulps, brandishing a knife at him and attempting to rob him of cash.
The 45-year-old was sentenced at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court on May 10, this year.
He appeared at Perth Sheriff Court via video link on Friday and admitted having an unauthorised SIM card inside his state-issued mobile just days later, on May 14.
Fiscal depute David Currie said the device was found during a routine search of Ross’s cell.
“Officers noticed that the security seal on his SPS-issued phone was broken,” said Mr Currie.
A solicitor for Ross, listed as a prisoner in Perth, asked the sheriff not to extend his jail term.
Her client was due for release in April 2023, she said.
Sheriff Kevin Duffy told Ross: “The only adequate disposal is a custodial one.”
He sentenced Ross to an extra 80 days in jail. The sheriff said the term would run consecutively with his current sentence.
Can’t stand me now?
A couple who brawled with security and police during a “raucous” gig by The Libertines have been ordered to complete community work.
Derek Milne and Caroline Rice stood shame-faced in the dock at Dundee Sheriff Court on Friday after admitting drunken assaults at the Caird Hall show.
The couple had turned up at the concert steaming drunk and kicked off when they were asked to hand over a whisky bottle.
Milne sank his teeth into a security officer’s arm and then Rice kicked a female police officer who tried to pull her away.
Lied to police
A Dunfermline woman lied to police that her ex had breached his bail conditions by “verbally abusing” and “threatening” her in a Tesco car park.
But Gemma Cameron, 36, was caught out when officers viewed CCTV footage at the city’s Aberdour Road store and saw there had been no such incident.
Dunfermline Sheriff Court heard Cameron’s former partner was previously subject to special bail conditions not to approach or contact her.
Procurator fiscal depute Michael Robertson said Cameron contacted police to report he had broken those conditions by verbally abusing and threatening her from within a vehicle in the car park before following her in the vehicle, on October 13 last year.
Officers then viewed CCTV at the Tesco as part of their enquiries.
The fiscal depute said: “That CCTV shows that the ex partner did not approach or attempt to approach to speak to the accused and remained a distance of 40 to 50 metres.”
“Officers returned to the accused Cameron’s house and said what was on CCTV and the accused began to alter her story and eventually admitted falsifying the report to police.”
Mr Robertson said police officers had said Cameron appeared unfazed by the charge and “more annoyed she was caught lying to the police.”
Defence lawyer Ian Beatson said his client had required to move address as a consequence of harassment received from the complainer.
Cameron pled guilty to falsely representing to police at public expense, temporarily depriving the public of police services, and causing the man to come under suspicion and accusation of breach of the peace and violating special bail conditions.
Sheriff David Hall told Cameron this is a serious matter and called for background reports.
Sentence was adjourned until September 14.
Brute banned girlfriend from wearing skirts
A Fife man banned his ex-girlfriend from wearing skirts, caused her to eat less and threw coffee over her when she made a comment about the football team he supports.
Mark McConnell also controlled who his partner spoke to.
The 28-year-old, from Dunfermline, appeared in the town’s sheriff court and admitted engaging in a course of abusive behaviour between November 2019 and December 2020.
He will be sentenced next month.
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