A drugs-on-wheels dealer caught with thousands of pounds of cocaine in his pants has dodged a prison sentence.
Matthew Dewar, 25, stuffed wads of banknotes and drugs downs his trousers when he was pulled over by police in Perth’s Oakbank area.
Officers also found more cash, cocaine, electronic scales and other paraphernalia in his Audi S3.
Nearly £4,000 worth of drugs and cash were recovered.
Dewar, of Glenfarg Terrace admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine in Viewlands Road West between July 31 and September 3, 2021.
Sheriff Charles Lugton ordered him to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and placed him on supervision for nine months.
The sheriff said the sentence was a direct alternative to custody, adding: “I take into account you have no criminal record and you have shown remorse.”
Racer caused death crash
A stock car racer had been downing vodka before he killed a Royal Navy veteran on the A92 in Fife and fled the scene. Marc Fortune, 28, ploughed into the back of a Vauxhall Meriva driven by John King. The 63 year-old’s car was forced off the road and ended up spinning down an embankment on the A92 near Cowdenbeath, where he died. Fortune admitted causing death by dangerous driving.
Evidence ends
Evidence has concluded in the trial of an Italian tourist whose shotgun blast killed his childhood friend Marco Cavola during a hunting trip in Perthshire four years ago.
Jurors at the trial of Franco Moroni will retire to consider their verdict on Friday after Lord Clark delivers instructions.
On Thursday, they heard closing speeches at Dundee High Court from both the prosecution and defence.
Advocate depute Michael Meehan said: “It is not in dispute that Franco Moroni pulled the trigger.
“It is not in dispute that it was shot from his shotgun which struck and killed a friend since childhood.
“Causation of death is not an issue.
“The Crown position is that when Franco Moroni discharged the shotgun, he did so recklessly.
“It is a crime to endanger others by reckless conduct.
“It is my submission that for one person to discharge a loaded shotgun directly over the head of another person who is crouching amounts to total indifference.”
However, defence advocate Murray Macara KC said: “The events on March 25 were a tragedy.
“That tragic event doesn’t necessarily mean that Franco Moroni has to be held to account.
“This tragic event was an accident, no more, no less.
“The unfortunate coincidence was on one hand, Franco pulled the trigger and on the other, Marco stood up.
“Nobody will know what was going through his mind at that time.”
Moroni, 62, denies the culpable homicide of Mr Cavola at Rossie Estate, between Perth and Dundee.
Twitter tittle-tattle
Twitter comments amount to nothing more than pub “tittle-tattle” judge Lady Dorrian ruled as former MP Natalie McGarry had her embezzlement conviction appeal quashed. McGarry, 41, from Inverkeithing, had claimed she did not get a fair trial due to social media comments but appeal judges disagreed and upheld her conviction, while knocking four months off her “excessive” two-year prison sentence.
Hot tub fury
A Coupar Angus man berated his mum and his partner while they soaked in a hot tub.
Neil Hutton admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner at the town’s Brodie’s Yard on May 14 last year.
The 28-year-old’s partner told police that there had been difficulties in their relationship.
He would become aggressive when drunk, she said.
Fiscal depute Dev Kapadia said Hutton began to shout at the complainer and his mother while they were outdoors in hot tub and was told to leave.
When Hutton saw that his girlfriend was there, he began shouting and acting aggressively.
They returned inside but Hutton began shouting through the letterbox.
Police were called and thinking they had arrived when there as a knock at the door, the complainer opened it but it was Hutton.
He entered uninvited but fled through a back door when police did arrive and he was arrested later that night.
Sentence was deferred until May.
Veteran abused partner
An army veteran who recently completed a charity bike ride from Aberdeen to Arbroath for an animal shelter has been found guilty of attacking his pregnant partner. Sammy Stewart, 36, of Perth, choked a woman on two occasions in 2017 and grabbed her hair and tried to pull her out of a car while she was heavily pregnant.
Covid-threat thug
A wanted man launched a coughing attack on police and said “I hope you piggy b******s die” after telling them he had Covid-19.
Kieran Clark kicked off when police turned up to arrest him on a warrant after getting a report that he was causing a drunken disturbance in the street.
The 2 Sisters chicken plant worker deliberately launched a coughing fit in the faces of officers.
Fiscal depute Gavin Burton previously told the court: “He began forcefully coughing, projecting towards the officers.
“They followed him into the living room and he was arrested.
“He said ‘I’ve got Covid, hope you piggy b******s die’.
“He tried to headbutt an officer.”
Clark, 22, from Westfield, Kirriemuir, was taken to police HQ in Dundee and again stated he had Covid as he continued to shout and threaten officers and spit at them.
He admitted assaulting five officers in Forfar on February 7 2021.
He further admitted, on February 9 this year, arriving in a drunken state at Park Terrace in Kirriemuir, where he repeatedly shouted, swore and acted aggressively, repeatedly kicked a door and smashed a window
Sheriff Alastair Carmichael said: “This is a series of unpleasant conduct, particularly towards police officers.”
For the offending in 2021 towards police, Clark was jailed for 10 months.
Another four months was added for the threatening behaviour earlier this month.
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