A St Johnstone fan arrested for his part in a “near-riot” at McDiarmid Stadium after posting an incriminating Instagram selfie has been fined £720.
Cameron McIntosh was amongst a group of about 30 supporters who clashed with police and stewards at the Perth stadium following Saints’ historic Scottish Cup win last summer.
The 21-year-old appeared at Perth Sheriff Court and pled guilty to a breach of the peace charge, making him the fourth man to be convicted in connection with the disorder on May 22.
Fiscal depute Sarah Wilkinson told the court: “The group was described as rowdy, aggressive and their language was unacceptable.”
She said they were heard shouting slogans including “f*** the police.”
McIntosh was seen on CCTV holding a pyrotechnic.
Stadium staff were forced to withdraw when the group breached a security fence.
Mounted police were called in when the fans tried to climb over a second cordon.
Solicitor Pauline Cullerton, defending, said McIntosh, a plumber’s apprentice, had been drinking but “wasn’t overly intoxicated.”
“He got caught up in the excitement,” she said.
Sheriff James MacDonald told McIntosh: “This was an extremely serious matter.”
The sheriff said he was concerned that those arrested following the disturbance were being dealt by the courts individually, meaning he had to be told by solicitors how other fans had been treated.
“With some hesitation, I will deal with this by way of a financial penalty,” he said.
The sheriff declined to impose a football banning order.
The court earlier heard that detectives had struggled to identify fans who were wearing masks and balaclavas. McIntosh, of Broomside, Perth, removed his balaclava to take a selfie and posted it on his Instagram page.
Dundee dog ban
A Dundee man has been banned from keeping dogs for five years after his XL Bully bit and injured a woman. Peter Fyfe’s powerful pet also grabbed a Shih tzu and tossed it around like a rag doll in a second attack just a few days later.
‘Spur of the moment’
A Fife man stole a belted sander and a battery from a Kirkcaldy Aldi store.
James Doyle, 27, of The Barony in East Wemyss, pled guilty to the theft via his solicitor at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court.
Procurator fiscal depute Amy Robertson said the incident took place on April 17 this year and the total value of the stolen item was £59.98.
Defence lawyer Lewis Faulds said Doyle was embarrassed by his “spur of the moment and opportunistic theft”.
The solicitor said his client had no analogous previous convictions.
Sheriff Alison McKay fined Doyle £200 and ordered him to pay a compensation order of £59.98.
SIM sinner
A Perth prisoner claimed an illegal SIM card found in a mobile phone, possibly stashed inside his bottom, did not belong to him. Guards saw Tom Devers’ state-issued mobile fall from between his legs during a body search in his cell.
Controlling partner
A Cardenden man set his partner time limits on how long she could spend with family.
James Jack admitted abusing the woman over an almost two year period from 2019.
The 23-year-old, of Carden Crescent, admitted behaving in an abusive way towards the woman when he appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court.
He controlled what she wore, prevented her from seeing friends and family, controlled the length of time she could spend with them, and bombarded her with calls and texts when she breached his time limits.
Jack also called her derogatory names, struck her on the head, locked her out of the property and put her possessions outside the home.
He will be sentenced next month.
One-man crime wave
Dundee man Ryan Robertson has been convicted of almost 20 charges of theft and fraud after a crime spree in which he stole tens of thousands of pounds worth of property.
The 22-year-old stole cars, fuel and a mountain bikes and even tried to pay for a McDonald’s dinner with a stolen card between May and October last year.
His six-months of criminality saw him pinch a Rolex watch and a laptop from an industrial unit and take a chainsaw from the back of a Bear Scotland worker’s van.
Appearing from custody at Dundee Sheriff Court, Robertson admitted committing 19 offences, including breaching bail and failing to comply with police.
