A Perth man who challenged a relative to a duel at a historic churchyard and told him “only one of us will make it out alive” has been fined £270.
Randolph Angus raged at family member Kenneth Clarke following a frosty encounter at a funeral.
The 61-year-old told him to get tooled up for the face-off at Greyfriar’s cemetery.
Perth Sheriff Court heard Angus’s menacing phone call followed a bitter family fall-out several years earlier.
Angus, of Cromlix Road, appeared in the dock and admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner, likely to cause fear or alarm, on March 9, last year.
Solicitor Paul Ralph, defending, said his client had “stewed” over what he perceived was a slight by Mr Clarke at the funeral.
“He refused to shake Mr Angus’s hand,” he said.
“Mr Angus then phoned Mr Clarke at work and vented at him. He is very apologetic.”
Sheriff Gillian Wade told Angus: “It is unfortunate that you come before the court at your age in relation to this sort of allegation.
“This was a very silly thing to do, but it was also criminal.”
Dundee man on rape charge
A man has appeared in court accused of raping a woman at his Dundee home.
Luca Scarpa appeared from custody at a private hearing at Dundee Sheriff Court.
He is alleged to have raped a woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, at his home on South Tay Street in Dundee on March 18.
The 21-year-old made no plea and was released on bail by Sheriff George Way.
Squared up to mum
A 24-year-old Fife man who twice assaulted his mother has been jailed.
Grant Lawrie admitted kicking mum Jillian in the chin at Cowdenbeath Leisure Centre car park following an argument on February 12.
He previously appeared in court for assaulting her five years ago and was sentenced to unpaid work, which he still hasn’t completed.
On that occasion the offence involved kicking her on the body and throwing a phone which struck her head.
In relation to the new assault, fiscal depute Catherine Stevenson told Dunfermline Sheriff Court that Lawrie had been at The Beath Inn, Cowdenbeath, and later argued with his mum in the street.
Ms Stevenson said Lawrie placed his hands around her neck and pushed her.
The fiscal said: “The accused then squared up to (his mother) and started to take his jacket off in a way that he was wanting to fight. ”
He kicked her to the face. His foot connected with the complainer’s chin.
She has sustained a small cut on her face. She fell to the ground and while on the ground the accused tried to kick her again, but missed.
Defence lawyer Elaine Buist said there was a “difficult relationship” between Lawrie and his mother.
The solicitor asked for another assessment to be carried out to establish the suitability of a restriction of liberty order.
Sheriff Lindsay Foulis told Lawrie he had “spectacularly failed” in making progress with the Community Payback Order (CPO) to perform unpaid work for the 2018 assault of his mother.
The sheriff suggested Lawrie, formerly of Hillview in Cowdenbeath, had breached this order three times.
Sheriff Foulis jailed him for ten months.
Carbon Monoxide death probe
Concerns were raised about a carbon monoxide alert at a remote Angus holiday cottage just days before the tragic death of teenage student Thomas Hill, an inquiry has heard.
The operator of Glenmark Cottage in rural Tarfside was warned about an alarm sounding at the property by previous guests.
One of the visitors said she became physically unwell while staying at the house.
Retired private school teacher Piers Le Cheminant, who rented out the holiday home on behalf of Burghill Farms, was told about the alarm on October 17, 2015.
Eleven days later, Mr Hill, 18, died after collapsing at the cottage from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Drug dealer nabbed after nap
A dozy drugs-on-wheels dealer was caught with cocaine worth thousands of pounds after falling asleep in his car on a Dundee street.
Alan Wallace was “struggling to keep his eyes open” when officers tapped on his window following a complaint from a nearby resident.
The East-ender was 500 miles from home when he was arrested in Dundee’s Duncarse Road on November 18, 2020.
Perth Sheriff Court heard officers decided to search his Audi TT after finding a small capsule of cannabis in his jacket pocket.
They recovered more than £6,000 of class A cocaine separated into a hundreds of small packages, as well as other drugs paraphernalia including weighing scales and snapbags.
Pride and Joy pranged
A garage worker collided with the back of another car in an early morning smash on Dundee’s Kingsway.
Ewan Clark had not realised he had been involved in a collision until police arrived at his family home in Moncur Crescent later that day.
The 23-year-old appeared at Dundee Sheriff Court and admitted a charge of careless driving on Kingsway East last summer.
He clipped the rear bumper of a red Toyota Aigo, depute fiscal Emma Farmer said.
She said the complainer’s bumper became displaced and burst a tyre.
The damage was valued at £150.
Defence solicitor Douglas McConnell said: “This was not the most serious careless driving case, I would submit to your lordship.
“His car is his pride and joy.
“He tells me he was unaware of the incident until police arrive days later.
“He accepts he was the driver of the car.”
Clark was fined £765 and given five penalty points, reduced from six in light of his early pleas.
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