A Dundee woman has admitted a three-day shoplifting spree at a Lochee discount store.
Avril McGinnes, 58, admitted stealing a mattress topper from the Range at Stack Retail Park, on April 14 this year.
Three days later, she stole a tree and a vacuum cleaner from the same shop.
She committed both offences while on bail.
McGinnes, of Provost Road, had her sentence deferred by Sheriff Eric Brown until January 16, to allow for reports and a restriction of liberty order assessment to be prepared.
Chernobyl faker sex attacks
A St Andrews theology student who carried out sex attacks during fake examinations following the Chernobyl nuclear disaster could be facing a life sentence. Funeral celebrant John Beaumont struck at St Andrews University between 1986 and 1988, lying he was conducting radiation testing, while actually sexually assaulting his duped victims. The now-65 year-old targeted three fellow students – two male and one female.
Ivory trial
A Dundee woman is to stand trial for allegedly dealing ivory.
Joyce Bell, 66, has denied dealing in the prohibited material on various dates from her home on Denhead Crescent between June 6 2022 and September 21 2022.
She further denies another charge of exporting ivory without an appropriate licence between April 24 2016 and April 22 2022 at the same address.
It was made illegal to trade in ivory following the introduction of the Ivory Act 2018.
Perpetrators found guilty can be fined £250,000 or sentenced to five years in prison.
Sheriff Eric Brown set a trial date for March 28 2024.
Home raid mistake
A serial criminal has been jailed following a terrifying home invasion. Marc Jenkins was sentenced to 57 months in prison after admitting creeping into the house of a couple with young children, armed with a knife and demanding money for drugs. Jenkins mistakenly believed the homeowners were other people, who owed him money.
‘Sticky wicket’
Darren Oakes, 50, assaulted two officers with his belt after taking a pee in their police van.
He had been lifted after shouting racist abuse at a neighbour in Milne Court, Perth on November 5.
He was caught on a Ring doorbell camera saying: “I’ll slit your throat you Polish rat b******.”
When he was arrested, he told officers: “I apologise, I was drunk.”
But he became agitated as he was driven to Dundee police station.
Fiscal depute Erika Watson told Perth Sheriff Court: “He said he needed to urinate but was advised the destination was just 10 minutes away.
“He said he would have to urinate on the floor of the van.”
Oakes was true to his word and the van was halted on Perth Road, Dundee.
The police went to the rear doors and Oakes struck both with his belt.
He appeared in the dock and admitted two charges of police assault and acting in a racially aggravated manner which caused his neighbour alarm or distress.
Prosecutors accepted urinating in the police van was not criminal conduct.
Sheriff William Wood told Oakes: “You are very much on a sticky wicket…You need to make more of an effort to stay off the sauce.”
Oakes was ordered to carry out 140 hours unpaid work within four months.
Xmas behind bars
A serial thief who targeted parked cars in Perth will spend Christmas behind bars. Slaughterhouse worker Alexander Laurie, 31, made off with hundreds of pounds worth of goods during a series of after-dark raids in April last year.
Crash pair in court
A pair involved in an Angus crash have appeared in court.
Ryan Kennedy, 27, of Viewmount, Forfar, admitted being unfit to drive through drink or drugs.
Fiscal depute Jill Drummond said residents on Brechin Road in Kirriemuir heard a crash at 11pm on December 2 last year.
Kennedy’s car had come to a halt and airbags had been deployed.
He left the car, which contained passenger Liam Murray and police were called by witnesses.
Murray, 23, of Strathmore Avenue in Forfar, said he had been the driver and began making homophobic remarks, calling officers “f*ggots”.
At Forfar Sheriff Court he admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner.
Sheriff Derek Reekie noted fined him £540 plus a £40 victim surcharge and said: “The police have a hard enough job without getting abuse like that.
“Alcohol may explain why you felt able to behave in that way but it’s no excuse.”
Kennedy admitted driving while unfit through drink or drugs and resisting, obstructing or hindering three PCs by refusing to allow handcuffs to be applied and using his bodyweight to prevent him being placed in a police vehicle.
The sheriff noted he has past convictions for both offences.
He banned Kennedy from driving pending sentencing on January 25 but was warned he will ultimately be disqualified for “at least three years”.
Latest sex offence order breach
A sex offender was caught with an illegal smartphone after police noticed he had left the charger plugged in. Former bus driver Ronald Young has multiple sexual offence convictions, including being caught twice in five months by undercover “paedophile hunter” groups after he went to Newcastle to meet what he thought was a 13-year-old girl. It was the latest sexual harm prevention order (SOPO) breach by former bus driver Young.
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