A Perthshire man who hit a police officer with a frying pan has been admonished.
Aaron Irvine, 40, of Lynedoch Road, Methven, admitted assaulting PC George Glashen and acting in a threatening or abusive manner by shouting, swearing and challenging people to fight on April 16 last year.
He struck the officer with such force, he stumbled backwards, Perth Sheriff Court heard.
Officers had been called to reports of a disturbance in the Skelton Road and Rorrie Terrace area of Methven.
Irvine pled guilty when he first appeared in the dock a year ago and was told to be of good behaviour.
The court was told he had since kept out of trouble.
Carer collision
A driver who left a carer with life-threatening injuries after a horrific collision in Dundee must perform unpaid work. Tracey Towell was struck in the Kirkton area by 36-year-old Melissa White. Ms Towell, then 57, spent 10 months in hospital being treated for injuries sustained in the accident in November 2022. She now requires carers herself.
£640 fine to avoid £15 charge
A drink-driver from Kirkcaldy who agreed to move her boyfriend’s car to avoid a £15 airport parking charge has been fined £640 instead.
Patricia McLaren had been drinking with her partner, who was staying at Leonardo Hotel near the airport in Aberdeen before going offshore.
When he realised he would be charged £15 for parking, McLaren, 36, offered to help but drew attention to herself as she struggled to navigate an exit barrier and airport police were called.
At Aberdeen Sheriff Court McLaren, of Shetland Place, Kirkcaldy, pled guilty to drink-driving (107mics/ 22) on April 17.
Defence agent Gregor Kelly emphasised his client only drove a short distance and “didn’t give thought to the fact she was over the legal limit”.
Sheriff Lesley Johnston told McLaren, “you made a serious error of judgment” as she fined her and disqualified her from driving for a year.
Community service cut short
A former golf shop boss caught in a £25k money laundering scheme has been allowed to abandon the bulk of his community service because he did not want to work alongside fellow cons who were drinking. Recovering alcoholic Moray Anderson was handed the order last year after admitting his role in a cash flow racket linked to a known drug dealer.
Hate crime
A man who racially abused police and became one of the first in Tayside to be prosecuted under the new Hate Crime Act has been placed on a curfew.
Kaine Baxter called the officer a “Polish b******” and told him: “Learn to speak English.”
Perth Sheriff Court heard previously the 26-year-old was seen at an upper-floor window by police who had been called to a disturbance in St Ninian’s Court, Alyth.
Fiscal depute Stephanie Paterson said Baxter became abusive and told them: “Oh f*** off. You can get the f*** away, f***ing t***s.”
He said that he would come down and “smash” them.
Ms Paterson said Baxter noticed one of the officers had a foreign accent.
He shouted: “You’re not from here. You’re a Polish b******.
“I can’t understand a word you say. Learn to speak English.”
Baxter, of Springbank, Alyth, admitted acting in a racially aggravated manner “which caused distress, or was intended to cause PC Nicola de Colle alarm or distress” on May 6.
He also pled guilty to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner.
Solicitor Billy Somerville, defending, said his client had “underlying problems”.
Sheriff Clair McLachlan told Baxter: “You have a worrying record for someone so young.
“I have reservations about your ability to meaningfully engage with the social work department.
“Unless you address your underlying issues, custody will be inevitable.”
Baxter was placed on supervision for a year and ordered to stay home between 7am and 7pm each night as part of a four-month restriction of liberty order.
Dirty needle threats
“Abhorrent” shoplifter Hayley Kenyon threatened to stab Dundee supermarket staff with a dirty needle before spitting in the face of another worker. She also claimed to have hepatitis during the incidents at two different stores in the city. A sheriff slated branded her actions “despicable”, before locking her up.
A90 cannabis petition
A man has appeared in court in connection with a £65,000 cannabis recovery in Perth.
Officers say they found 10kg of drugs when they pulled over a vehicle on the A90 near Glendoick on May 30.
Than Nguyen, 34, appeared on petition at Perth Sheriff Court accused of being concerned in the supply of drugs.
He also faces allegations he drove without a licence or insurance.
Nguyen, of no fixed abode, was remanded in custody following a brief appearance before Sheriff Grant McCulloch earlier this week.
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