A Perth motorist has been disqualified after jurors found seriously injured his passenger and hurt himself after crashing at Broxden roundabout, Perth.
Following a two-day trial at Forfar Sheriff Court, a jury found Israr Ulhaq guilty of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
On July 7 in 2020, he drove a white Mercedes GLA 200 at excessive speed on the A9 bypass and with insufficient tread on his front offside tyre.
Ulhaq, of Strathmore Street, Perth, was not paying proper attention and failed to negotiate the roundabout.
The 33-year-old mounted the verge and collided with two trees.
He hurt himself and caused his female passenger “serious” injuries.
Allegations he was using his mobile phone at the time were rejected by the jury.
Sheriff Krista Johnston deferred sentencing until September 21 for reports.
Maverick the Speedy
An Angus drug dealer known as Maverick the Speedy, who tried to smuggle thousands of pounds worth of ecstasy disguised as pet food into Scotland has been jailed for 50 months. Toby Bishop, 21, also had a cannabis plantation at his home near Forfar. The forestry worker pled guilty to two charges of being concerned in the supply of controlled drugs.
Snapchat offence
A Fife sex offender once caught with dozens of child abuse files has landed in the dock again after being caught with Snapchat on his phone.
John Coote was placed on the Sex Offenders Register in 2021 after police raided his former Burntisland home.
Coote, now of The Paddocks in Grange of Lindores, had been placed on a strict Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) at Snaresbrook Crown Court in East London on April 27 2021.
This prohibited Coote from using any software which prevents internet use from being retained.
However when police inspected his mobile phone on February 9 last year, Coote had Snapchat installed, a messaging service which automatically deletes messages.
Solictor Ian Houston said: “He thought it was an app that would delete everything that would be a breach.
“He did not believe that that breached his order.”
Sheriff Alastair Carmichael ordered him to complete 150 hours of unpaid work as an alternative to custody.
He said: “It’s quite a close call but I’m willing to give you the benefit of the doubt.
“You’re on several orders. You’ve got to be really, really careful about what you do.”
Cash machine menace
A Dundee woman who coerced a vulnerable octogenarian to withdraw £300 for her has been locked up. Tandy Swinton admitted stealing the cash and acting in a threatening or abusive manner towards her 82-year-old victim, who she marched to the cash machine.
Confusing speed limit
A 21-year-old flight attendant from Perth was clocked driving at twice the limit in a variable speed limit zone, while driving home from work.
Caitlin Roger pled guilty to speeding on a stretch of the M90, between the Halbeath and Kelty junctions, on June 22 this year.
Procurator fiscal depute Azrah Yousaf told Dunfermline Sheriff Court Roger was driving a Fiat 500 at 60mph in a 30mph stretch when she was caught by police at around 12.50am.
The fiscal depute said: “She was caught doing 60mph in a then 30mph limit.
“I believe it may have been roadworks which is why the speed was reduced”.
Defence lawyer Alexander Flett said his client was driving home from work at Edinburgh Airport after her shift.
He said work was being carried out on the road but the issue in this case was the variable speed limit depending on time of day.
He said Roger had driven through the roadworks to get to work when the limit was 50mph and by the time she returned home she had not noticed it had reduced.
Mr Flett said Roger, of Augustus Way, Perth, has held her licence since February 2000 and has no endorsements.
The lawyer said she is not the only person to be caught out for speeding on this section of road.
Sheriff Susan Duff said she accepted Roger’s mistake and imposed three penalty points on her licence and fined her £132, reduced from £250 because of her early plea.
Public indecency
Drunken James Johnstone, 48, from Dundee has been placed on the Sex Offenders Register for a decade for publicly pleasuring himself in Ninewells’ emergency department. As well as a string of sexual misconduct offences at the hospital on March 4 this year, he pled guilty to stealing cash from a McDonald’s drive-thru till after sneaking through a fire exit.
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