A Hibs fan from Kirkcaldy who hurled homophobic abuse at Celtic supporters was fined £300.
Matt MacGregor, 26, made the remarks at Celtic Park on March 18 2023.
The Scottish Premiership champions hosted their Edinburgh opponents in a match they won 3-1.
MacGregor behaved in a threatening or abusive manner, approached the barrier separating opposition supporters and shouted and swore at them, including making offensive and homophobic remarks.
MacGregor pled guilty in October to the single charge, aggravated by prejudice relating to sexual orientation.
An allegation he challenged supporters to fight was deleted by the Crown.
MacGregor was ordered to be of good behaviour for six months by Sheriff Louise Arrol KC, who did not ban him from football matches.
Praise for youngster
The mother of a girl who was sexually assaulted by a Fife predator said she is proud of her daughter for speaking out against her attacker when she was just seven. Self-confessed “creep” Brandon Swindells, 28, targeted the child in Kirkcaldy.
Mule fined
A drug mule caught transporting a £360k cannabis haul through Scotland has avoided being sent back to jail.
Cezar Manciu and his co-accused Lulzim Musollari were pulled over at Perth’s Broxden roundabout and were hit by an overwhelming smell of cannabis.
The Albanian pair had been transporting a 22kg haul from Manchester to Aberdeen.
Manciu, from London, made a dramatic bid for freedom and darted across the dual carriageway.
After 45 minutes of searching, he was eventually found hiding in a bush about a kilometre away.
He told officers: “It is only drugs. I’m not killing people. This is too much.”
Chef-turned-joiner Manciu, 32, returned to Forfar Sheriff Court for sentencing, having already pled guilty to possessing the Class B drug with intent to supply on January 24, last year.
Sheriff Mungo Bovey said he initially intended to jail Manciu for three years but reduced that to two years because of his early plea.
But the sheriff noted Manciu had already served 348 days on remand and said it was not worth sending him back for just 17 days.
Instead, he imposed a fine of £5,000, reduced from £7,500.
Unlike his co-accused, Manciu is not a first offender and has criminal convictions from his time in Italy.
In 2014, he was jailed for a year and 10 months and fined 10,000 Euros for possession of a controlled drug.
Three years later, he was jailed for two years, suspended for five years, and fined 1,200 Euros for possession of a firearm without a certificate.
Jagerbombed
A woman attacked pub staff and police officers in Scone after downing a mix of cough medicine, wine and Jagerbombs. Kelly Maguire, 48, turned violent after being turfed out of the pub, biting one officer and gouging another’s hand with her nails.
Unwilling separation
Reports have been ordered for a lout who attacked his ex-partner after previously abusing her in a Dundee bar.
Andrew Woodcock, 37, has been ordered not to approach the woman after he pled guilty to offences against her at Dundee Sheriff Court.
On March 16 at The Market on Seagate, a day after splitting up, he shouted, swore and called her abusive names and accused her of sleeping with other men.
Woodcock refused to leave before eventually being escorted out.
On April 15, he pinned her against a fence on Main Street in Leuchars and grabbed her hair.
Woodcock, of Dundee’s Stirling Street, punched the fence repeatedly before leaving the scene when confronted by witnesses.
The victim was in court to watch proceedings and was not supportive of being separated from Woodcock.
Sheriff Paul Brown, however, released Woodcock on bail with conditions not to approach or contact her and to stay away from her address in Leuchars.
He said: “I know the complainer does not want these conditions and that might mean there’s a temptation to contact her but it’s the court that imposes the conditions.
“You are the person this condition relies upon – it’s you that would get into trouble and likely face the Crown opposing your bail should you breach them.”
Sentence was deferred until next month for reports to be prepared.
Sheriff to be sacked?
Former Dundee solicitor Jack Brown could be sacked as a sheriff after a tribunal ruled being he behaved “entirely inappropriately” towards a female lawyer. The affair has been rumbling on for six years, since the complainer made allegations of sexual harassment against him.
Crash horror
“Under-the-influence” driver Christopher Harper, who caused a two car smash on the A9 while overtaking in a torrential downpour, has been banned from the road.
His Honda Civic ploughed into a central barrier, while the red Ford Fiesta he struck span out of control, trapping its driver inside until she could be rescued by firefighters.
Debris from the smash was thrown across the carriageway, forcing oncoming vehicles to take evasive action, Perth Sheriff Court heard.
Harper, of Kettins Terrace, Dundee, pled guilty to dangerous driving, at excessive speed for the weather conditions, on October 20 2022, near the Findo Gask turn-off.
Although prosecutors agreed to drop allegations he was behind the wheel while four-times the drug-drive limit, the court heard he was “under the influence” at the time of the collision.
Sheriff William Wood told Harper: “You’re very fortunate that this incident wasn’t more serious than it was.
“Your misjudgement was grossly dangerous.”
Harper was ordered to carry out 120 hours unpaid work and disqualified from driving for a year.
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