A man and woman have appeared in court in connection with alleged robberies at a Dundee multi.
Police were called to Elders Court twice last week, following reports of alleged incidents within 48 hours of each other.
Stephen Cullen, 51, and Sharon Innes, 55, appeared on petition at Dundee Sheriff Court on Monday.
They both faces allegations of assault to injury and robbery, and assault and robbery.
The pair made no plea during the brief private appearance.
They were released on bail. A date for their next appearance has still to be set.
Two-time dealer
An Arbroath man must complete unpaid work after being caught twice with cannabis worth four figure sums.
At Forfar Sheriff Court, Steven Skinner admitted being in possession of the class B substance with intent to supply on January 22 and July 13 last year.
Police first traced him at his former partner’s home in Andrew Barton Street in Arbroath.
Officers found his backpack which contained tubs of cannabis.
The drugs weighed 240g and were valued at £2,400.
Skinner, of Glenesk Avenue in Arbroath, gave a no comment interview, the court heard.
Officers returned to the property in July to investigate a fire outside.
Inside they found Skinner, again with a backpack full of drugs.
The 213.9g found on this occasion was valued at £1,000. he gave police another no comment interview.
Sentencing had been deferred for reports.
Solicitor Billy Rennie said: “He’s 28. He’s been fairly open and honest about the reasons he got involved in relation to his own drug debt.
“He acknowledges the severity of the matter.
“He has a record but nothing for drugs before.
“There’s no hiding, it’s custody or an alternative.”
Sheriff Krista Johnston ordered Skinner to complete 180 hours of unpaid work in the next 18 months.
He has 28 hours of a previous order outstanding.
The sheriff labelled Skinner’s “fairly sophisticated” situation as “eloquent of his involvement.”
She said: “This was a high amount of cannabis.
“This offence is over a period of time as well.
“It’s a harmful drug and it’s against the law.
“I’m only just persuaded I can deal with this matter in a way other than sending you to jail today.”
Drugs linked to crime gang
A roofer with a sideline dealing drugs for an organised crime gang was caught red-handed with cocaine with a potential street value of nearly £100,000.
Gareth Speirs, 44, was caught touring Scotland distributing large quantities of the Class A drug twice in the space of four months.
A surveillance operation was set up in Inverness after police received a tip-off and Speirs was spotted with a bag of cocaine at a BP filling station in Longman Road.
Just months later, police received more information that Speirs had left his Glasgow home again to spread cocaine and a watch was set up in Dundee.
He was caught again – with more than twice as much cocaine as he had been caught with in Inverness – and now faces being sent to prison.
Bollard bash
A Cupar gardener who crashed into a bollard and refused to be breathalysed by police has been banned from driving.
Martin Steele failed a road-side test in the early hours of January 15 this year, but declined to give another breath sample when he was taken to police HQ.
He had been at a party at a friend’s house, before returning home via bus, Dundee Sheriff Court heard.
Steele then, in a “moment of madness”, got into his car to go visit a friend.
The 29-year-old hit a bollard.
Depute fiscal Emma Farmer told the court: “At around 2am, police had cause to attend due to a vehicle being involved in an incident.
“The accused said he was the driver of the car.
“He was asked to provide a road side breath test, which provided a positive reading.
“He was taken to Ninewells hospital. He was then released and taken to Bell Street police headquarters and the custody suite.
“He was required to give a further specimen at the station and he would not provide one.
“He was arrested and made no reply to caution and charge.”
Defence solicitor Lee Qumsieh said: “He has no previous convictions and has had a clean license since he was 18.
“He was taken to hospital because of the accident, not because he was intoxicated.
“He had collided with a bollard.
“His position is, he was at a friend’s house and had a few drinks.
“A friend picked him up and thereafter he got a bus home.
“Another friend called him and asked him to come to their address.
“He took the decision to drive in what he tells me was ‘a moment of madness’.
“He did provide a road side breath test.
“He only lives a short distance away— a 15-minute walk from where he was going — he can’t tell me why he decided to drive.
“His car will cost £5,000 to repair and he will need to now sell it.
“He tells me he had a few beers but we’re not in a position to know objectively (the alcohol reading)”
Sheriff Charles Lugton banned Steele, of Cupar Mills, Cupar, from holding or obtaining a driving license for 18 months, reduced to 14 in light of his early guilty plea.
Pervert’s attempt to pervert justice
A jailed sex offender has admitted trying to wreck his own trial by begging his ex-partner not to attend at his court proceedings.
Adam Smith phoned his former girlfriend nearly 50 times from Perth Prison, where he was held on remand.
He encouraged her not to turn up at court, believing that this could cause the crown case against him to collapse.
In 2021, the 23-year-old was jailed for 28 months after he admitted having underage sex with the teenager he met online.
He pled guilty to engaging in an abusive course of conduct by controlling how she dressed and inducing her to physically harm herself.
Smith, from Glenrothes, appeared from custody at Perth Sheriff Court and admitted breaching bail conditions by phoning his ex between February 22 and March 18, 2021.
He also pled guilty to attempting to pervert the course of justice.
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