A man has admitted taking a photo of a 15-year-old girl without her consent at McDonald’s restaurant in Forfar.
At Forfar Sheriff Court, Eduard Salajevs pled guilty to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner at the restaurant on March 5 last year.
He took a picture of the girl’s leg, back and buttocks in a manner “likely to cause a reasonable person fear or alarm” according to the charge.
The 45-year-old, of Lordburn Place, Forfar, further admitted being in charge of a car with excess alcohol (92/ 22mics) when he was spoken to police in his Toyota Prius.
Sheriff Krista Johnston deferred sentencing until March 20.
Not guilty verdict slammed
The family of tragic shooting victim Marco Cavola has slammed the decision to acquit of culpable homicide the man who fired the fatal shot. A jury at the High Court in Dundee took just 30 minutes to find Franco Moroni not guilty over the 2019 death. Shooting agent Peter Bruce was fined £4,800 for health and safety and firearms breaches.
Gain high, sell low
A Dundonian who got less than 10% of his asking price when he pawned a stolen bike has been jailed.
Robbie Bruce admitted resetting the bicycle at the Whitehall Crescent branch of Cash Converters on May 4 2021.
Fiscal depute Lee Corr explained Bruce, of Lansdowne Court, had asked for £800 but was only paid £72.50.
The bike’s owner noticed it just over a week later and brought it to the attention of staff.
Sheriff Paul Brown jailed the 28-year-old for 45 days.
Solicitor Anika Jethwa said: “He had got it for very little money for the quality of bike.”
Four-years of terror
A jealous chef who threatened to slice his partner’s face to make her look like The Joker has been jailed for 32 months. During a terrifying four-year campaign of violence and controlling abuse, Dragos Henter pinned the woman on a restaurant floor in Dundee at knifepoint, grabbed her steering wheel and handbrake as she drove and held a knife at her stomach and throat.
Wedding assault
James Boyes, 25, of Dryden Crescent, Loanhead, assaulted another man by repeatedly kicking him on the head after causing him to fall to the ground in Dunfermline’s Nith Street on December 10 2021.
They had been at a wedding reception at Abbeyview bowling club and Boyes had spent the night speaking to his victim’s partner, Dunfermline Sheriff Court heard.
This continued afterwards outside, eventually resulting in the assault, fiscal depute Catherine Stevenson said.
The court heard the man had swelling and bruising to both his eyes and a cut to his nose.
Defence lawyer David McLaughlin said: “He should have walked away. He did not walk away and had a rush of blood to the head and, as he himself puts it, he retaliated in an excessive fashion”.
Sheriff Wyllie Robertson pointed out Boyes has a record for serious violence and the offence was aggravated by being committed during a period in which he was on early release for a serious assault.
Sheriff Robertson sent Boyes to prison to serve 80 days of an unexpired portion of his sentence, as well as a further 11 months in prison for the latest assault.
Tomahawk axe robbery
An Arbroath thug found guilty of robbing a woman with a tomahawk axe in a terrifying shop raid has been jailed. Dale Crookshank walked into Sam’s Store in Arbroath, clad almost entirely in black, brandished the weapon at the shopkeeper and robbed her of cash, tobacco and booze.
Lout in the loft
A violent boyfriend who dragged his girlfriend to the floor was later found by police hiding in her loft.
At Perth Sheriff Court, Jamie McGill, 30, admitted assaulting his then-partner in Lingay Court on July 6 2021 and breaching bail conditions by being with the woman at her home on July 16.
Fiscal depute Dev Kapadia said McGill and his partner had argued and she fled the house when he grabbed her and dragged her to the ground and police were called.
About a week later, police received a tip-off McGill was with the woman – a breach of his bail conditions.
They went to her home at about midnight and knocked several times, becoming concerned they would have to force entry, until the woman finally answered.
Police searched the house and found McGill in the loft, kneeling down in a darkened corner.
The court heard McGill, whose address was given as Royston Hill, Glasgow, now has a “new life and new partner” in the Perth area.
He was ordered to carry out 135 hours unpaid work and placed on supervision for a year.
He must stay away from his ex for 18 months as part of a non-harassment order.
D’oh
A paedophile forgot he was on the Sex Offenders Register then tried to blame police for his breach. Disgraced businessman Alasdair Morrison from Crieff was jailed in 2009 for child abuse material possession. The 51-year-old admitted he had not completed his yearly registration before deadline on April 12 2019 but he said it was Police Scotland’s fault for not reminding him.
Two-day assault
Marc Williams, 48, from Fife, left a friend with a fractured skull after attacking him in a row over stolen cannabis.
Williams repeatedly beat housemate and fellow drug user James Cunningham, who was later found wandering the streets by police officers.
Fiscal depute Joanne Ritchie told Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court the attacks had taken place across two days on September 23 and 24 2022.
She said: “He was subjected to a sustained attack, with the accused punching and kicking him.
“He retreated to bed, where he was subject to further attacks by the accused.
“These attacks took place at various times in the evening and into the next morning.”
Mr Cunningham was taken to hospital in Kirkcaldy where he was treated for a bleed on the brain and a fractured skull.
Solicitor Christine Hagen, defending, said of her client: “He expresses disgust at his own behaviour, and apologises to Mr Cunningham and hopes their friendship can continue.”
Williams, a prisoner at Perth, admitted assault in Factory Road, Buckhaven and was jailed for two years.
For the latest court cases across Tayside and Fife, join our Courts Facebook page.