A Dundonian caught sneaking into a stranger’s car failed to tell a police officer who frisked him he had an uncapped needle in his pocket.
David Tracey, of Hazelhead Terrace in Dundee, was found in the car at Mayfield Grove at 3am on April 10.
Police searched the 35-year-old and found nothing but when he was checked again at the West Bell Street HQ charge bar, an uncapped syringe was uncovered.
Appearing from custody at Dundee Sheriff Court, Tracey admitted being in the car without lawful authority, whereby it could reasonably be inferred he planned to steal.
He also admitted culpably and recklessly failing to tell a constable who searched him about the needle and in doing so, putting the officer at risk of injury.
Tracey had only been released from prison on March 21 and has an unexpired portion of that sentence outstanding.
Reports were ordered and he was remanded pending sentencing on May 5.
PC admonished
Police Scotland constable Andrew Caulfield, 47, was admonished at Dundee Sheriff Court after admitting a nine-month course of domestic abuse against a former partner. The first offender harassed his fellow PC and broke bail conditions forbidding him from contacting her in 2019.
Cigarettes and alcohol
A Broughty Ferry man has been locked up after admitting breaking into a city shop to steal cigarettes and alcohol.
26-year-old Jay Clark won’t be spending his days in the sunshine because he was remanded ahead of sentencing on May 9.
He appeared from custody at Dundee Sheriff Court to admit raiding the Green’s supermarket on Albert Street on April 8.
He pled guilty to breaking into the shop and stealing booze and fags while subject to six separate bail orders.
One of those orders also contained a curfew, which prohibited Clark from leaving his home in Albert Road, Broughty Ferry, between 7pm and 7am.
He admitted that while breaking into the shop, he breached this court-imposed condition.
Solicitor Kevin Hampton said his client was using Valium at the time and had issues residing there with his grandmother, so offered a new bail address in Dundee’s Arbroath Road.
Shopkeeper cleared
A Perth shopkeeper has been cleared of selling stolen goods following a police raid on his city centre premises. Officers swooped on second-hand store Trading Places and seized more than 100 items, before charging Robert Shepherd with reset in October 2020. However, he was cleared when it was established other employees also had responsibility for buying items for the shop.
Perth rapist jailed
Perth rapist William Hutton was jailed at the High Court in Edinburgh.
The 34-year-old raped a sleeping woman at a house in the city on March 15 2020 when she was intoxicated and incapable of giving consent.
Hutton, who has three previous convictions for stalking women, denied the offence and was found guilty after trial.
In April 2022, Hutton was placed on supervision for two years after Perth Sheriff Court heard how he left a woman feeling “drained and broken” by his stalking actions.
He had already been given a 15-month prison sentence for similar offences in August 2018.
Hutton’s rape sentence comprises a custodial term of five years and an extension period of two years.
He is also subject to sex offender notification requirements.
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