A tattie-thrower risked a roasting in court for bombarding rivals with potatoes from his seventh-floor Dundee flat.
Marcin Legierska lobbed spuds from the window on Landsdowne Gardens as a feud reached boiling point.
Dundee Sheriff Court heard how his half-baked plan to get at the couple came as they were gardening at around 10.30am on July 27.
Fscal depute Lissie Cook said: “At this time, they have overheard the accused enter the balcony.
“The accused has then began throwing multiple potatoes from his balcony towards the complainers.
“The items were close to striking them.”
The couple were said to have been “distressed” and sought refuge inside, before contacting the police.
Solicitor Gary Foulis chipped in regarding he size of the airborne tubers, stating: “They weren’t Maris Pipers, they were baby pearls.”
Legierska, 45, pled guilty to two assaults and had a not guilty plea accepted to an abusive behaviour charge.
Mr Foulis added: “There’s been bad blood between him and the complainers.
“There have been no further incidents since July – it was an unfortunate and unsavoury incident.”
Before admonishing him, Sheriff Clair McLachlan said: “I am going to treat this as a moment of madness on your part. It does seem to be out of character.”
Injured football manager
Football boss Kevin McNaughton was left bloodied after being punched during a fight involving rival teams in a Dundee pub. The Dundee North End manager and former Scotland international was injured by William Buchanan, 38, in the Club Bar.
Pub pest
Pub pest Robert Ramsay, 20, threatened staff and injured a police officer while “acting the big man” during a drunken ruckus at the Black Watch Inn, Aberfeldy on July 27 2024.
Perth Sheriff Court heard Ramsay had spent the afternoon at the pub and staff became increasingly concerned about his behaviour.
At around 8pm, police were called when he started shouting at bar staff by when officers arrived, Ramsay had already left.
He returned at about 9pm and started acting aggressively towards one employee, calling him a “sh**ebag” and accusing him of “f***ing grassing to police”.
Ramsay added: “Do you know who I am? This is my town. Watch what happens.”
Police were called back to the pub and Ramsay was removed, struggling with officers and trying to break free.
One officer received a soft tissue injury to his left forearm, fiscal depute Stephanie Paterson said.
Additional units were called and Ramsay was restrained on a table.
Ramsay, of Duntaylor Avenue, Aberfeldy, pled guilty to a charge of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner.
Solicitor Alan Davie said his client “was acting the big man and put bar staff in a position where they had no option but to call police.”
Ramsay, who is still barred from the pub, has since “curtailed” his drinking.
Sheriff William Wood deferred sentence for a month for Ramsay to prove he can stay out of trouble over the festive period.
Nightclub blaze sentencing
A teenager who torched the former Kitty’s nightclub building in Kirkcaldy has been given offender supervision for 18 months.
He is one of two 16-year-old boys who previously pled guilty to breaking into the disused Hunter Street premises and wilfully setting fire to a seating booth, leading to the fire spreading throughout the building and causing extensive damage on September 3 last year.
The pair, both from Kirkcaldy, are too young to be named and were said to be acting along with another person at the time.
At Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court, Sheriff Robert More sentenced one of the boys to 18 months of offender supervision as a direct alternative to detention.
At an earlier hearing, the case for the other teen was remitted to the children’s panel.
Details of the B-listed building blaze were previously heard.
Awitness working on a neighbouring property saw three youths, one carrying an aerosol, enter a car park from Wemyssfield at around 2.10pm.
They used a wheelie bin to climb onto a roof and a short time later jumped over a wall onto Hunter Street and smoke started billowing from the roof of Kitty’s.
25 fire appliances attended during the course of the fire and crews stayed at the scene for more than 19 hours.
The building, disused since 2019, was later demolished.
The two boys were identified from CCTV.
Rape confession too late
A former university student from Fife who confessed to raping a sleeping teenager in Dundee was jailed for 40 months. A judge pointed out to Ethan Campbell, 21, he would have faced a four-year jail term without his guilty plea but said the admission – the week he was due to stand trial – came too late to save the victim having to give evidence in preparation.
Stabbed stepfather in neck
A chef from Dundee is facing a lengthy jail-term after stabbing his stepfather in the neck, leaving him scarred.
Marcin Gadecki, 43, lashed out at Leszek Tachasiuk at the victim’s flat in Victoria Road on May 13 2023.
Prosecutor Colin Edward told the High Court in Glasgow: “An argument developed and Mr Tachasiuk told him that he was to leave.
“He became angry, went to the kitchen and returned to the sitting room with a knife.
“He struck him to the neck with the knife – the wound began to bleed heavily.
“Mr Tachasiuk lost consciousness and awoke to find Gaedcki holding his neck at the wound.”
Gadecki dialled 999 and his stepdad was rushed to accident and emergency with what turned out to be a minor wound, potentially life threatening due to the “obvious risk” of hitting his neck.
Gadecki admitted assault to severe injury, permanent disfigurement and danger of life.
Kris Gilmartin, defending, said: “There was a fallout and he had taken the knife with the intention of scaring (Mr Tachasiuk).”
Mr Gilmartin said Gadecki, who has been in the UK for 18 years, had latterly been the main carer for his sick mum.
Judge Lord Mulholland said: “Stabbing someone in the neck with a knife is a lottery whether the person lives or dies.
“You have a previous conviction for carrying a weapon – a meat cleaver. You have also breached court orders.”
Bail was refused and Gadecki will be sentenced next month.
ID issue
A bouncer at a Broughty Ferry pub needed eight stitches after being attacked by a drunk punter who was asked to prove his age. Kristopher Hutton, 28, became “irate” after being asked to provide identification at The Eagle Coaching Inn.
Possible life sentence
A sheriff has ordered a man who torched his Arbroath flat to be psychiatrically assessed after he made a number of concerning remarks in a social work report.
Richard Buick‘s case could be referred to the High Court for sentencing, with the potential that he may never be released from custody.
Buick, 44, previously admitted setting fire to his property in the block-of-four on Newton Avenue, as well as making a number of bizarre posts on social media.
Dundee Sheriff Court previously heard how Buick set the fire then left his flat and downstairs neighbours had to be evacuated.
At this point, Buick was on his way to Glasgow and making concerning text posts on Instagram.
Investigators at the flat discovered a bullet tip among the debris.
Buick also admitted issuing death threats during an abusive tirade at Arbroath’s Job Centre and making threats to his father while brandishing a knife at Arbroath railway station.
Perth prisoner Buick returned to the dock following the preparation of a social work report.
Sheriff Tim Niven-Smith said: “He either has mental health issues or he doesn’t.
“If he doesn’t then the report is concerning, whether he’s attempted to mislead the social worker or he’s been under the influence of drink or drugs in custody.
“I would have to give consideration to remitting to the High Court.
“He may meet the risk criteria for an Order for Lifelong Restriction – there’s a risk that at liberty he may kill someone.”
Buick, who had been previously psychiatrically assessed as fit to plead, interrupted proceedings to state: “I am in no way in any shape or form mentally ill.”
Sheriff Niven-Smith deferred sentence until February for a psychiatric assessment to be carried out.
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