A Perth prisoner who attacked a fellow inmate with a sock weighted with a padlock told officers: “He came to do me.”
At Perth Sheriff Court, Reece Cuthbert, 29, pled guilty to assaulting John Mitchell to his injury on January 30 2024.
When charged with assault, Cuthbert replied: “He came to do me. I was defending myself. What am I meant to do?”
The court heard Cuthbert had a visible “slashing” injury down the right side of his face.
Solicitor Billy Somerville, defending, said Mitchell had gone into Cuthbert’s cell with the sock and padlock and a razor blade.
Things were friendly at first but Mitchell suddenly slashed Cuthbert with the razor.
Cuthbert got the sock and used it to retaliate.
Mr Somerville said: “If he had done nothing, this single injury he suffered would have been one of many.”
Sheriff William Wood jailed Cuthbert for 10 weeks.
Gruesome knife attack
Perth man William Halliday, 25, carved up a rival’s face with a bread knife in a “gruesome” assault at the end of a marathon drinking session. He hacked at his victim with a six-inch blade, leaving the man requiring plastic surgery after his mouth was slashed open and his ear “chopped in three places”.
Pub brawl pair
Thomas McPhee, 34, left a stranger with a broken nose and ribs in Broughty Ferry’s Eagle Coaching Inn pub.
He headbutted Allan Smart, who was also later punched repeatedly by James Jackson, 37, in the King Street bar.
Dundee Sheriff Court heard there was a “disagreement” when the two men approached Mr Smart and McPhee asked if he had a problem with him.
After pointing out they were strangers, Mr Smart was headbutted by McPhee, causing him to fall back.
McPhee, of Bridgeview, Cowdenbeath, left the bar but Jackson, of Harlow Place, Dundee, stayed to fight with other people before being ejected.
McPhee admitted assault to severe injury and Jackson admitted assault to injury and breach of the peace on December 9 2022.
Sheriff Gregor Murray told McPhee: “This is your third conviction for assault and after your last one, you were ordered to carry out what seems to have been the maximum amount of hours available.
“It didn’t stop you doing this.
“You behaved atrociously, caused serious injury to another person. There’s no credible alternative to a custodial sentence.”
McPhee was sentenced to 228 days in prison while Jackson was ordered to perform 120 hours of unpaid work.
Clueless car crooks
A pair of car thieves involved in a scheme to steal plush cars from Dundee driveways have been locked up. Clueless crooks Ryan Robertson and Robbie Mill were snared after leaving their DNA and fingerprints inside the Range Rovers they stole.
Drinking at the wheel
A woman found drinking at the wheel with her engine running in Angus has been banned from the road for three years and placed on a structured deferred sentence.
Alexandra Konstacka, 43, of Bloomfield Gardens in Arbroath, returned to Forfar Sheriff Court to be sentenced after admitting refusing to provide police with a breath sample while on bail on February 7 last year.
Fiscal depute Lora Apostalova explained police were contacted about the manner of her driving and she was traced on the A933 north of Colliston, in the driver’s seat of the stationary vehicle with the engine running.
At police HQ, she denied driving the car.
Solicitor Billy Rennie said her car had broken down and she began drinking booze she had with her.
Sheriff Derek Reekie noted Konstacka was previously convicted of being in charge of a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and disqualified her for three years.
The sheriff also placed the Czech national on a structured deferred sentence.
Fan ban
Dundee FC fan Robert Alexander has been banned from all UK football games for a year after he headbutted a steward at Pittodrie. The 61-year-old took umbrage when asked to move during the Aberdeen vs Dundee game in April last year that secured his side’s top-6 finish.
‘I’ve grown up a lot’
A Montrose knifeman who injured a man during an armed struggle has been told he is lucky he did not end up in the High Court.
Last year, Joseph Bryden, 43, was convicted by jurors at Forfar Sheriff Court of assault at New Wynd in Montrose on May 19 2022 and possessing an offensive weapon.
He struck his victim on the head and body, leaving him injured.
Solicitor Sarah Russo for Bryden, of Traill Terrace, Montrose, said: “Mr Bryden was at his home address with his partner when the complainer and his partner turned up late in the evening and under the influence of alcohol.
“I don’t seek to minimise the offence. He still does not accept responsibility.”
She said he is getting help for “a longstanding history of drug misuse difficulties and now quite significant physical health issues”.
Sheriff Paul Ralph imposed a year-long restriction of liberty order, keeping Bryden at home from 8pm until 8am, and imposed 18 months of supervision.
He said: “It’s only really good fortune the injury was minimal and you don’t find yourself in the High Court. I accept that there was a degree of provocation.”
Bryden told the sheriff: “I’ve grown up a lot, your honour.”
Creep jailed
There was applause as creepy Junaid Akram was jailed for forcing himself upon a sleeping woman at a Perth house party in a vile sexual assault.
Back to jail
A convicted drug-dealer jailed after being snared in a six-figure cocaine bust has been sent back to prison for four months and banned from driving for 40.
Scott Fraser flouted a road ban on July 29 last year after previously being handed a 20-month disqualification from driving in February 2023.
In 2017, Fraser was sentenced to more than five years at the High Court in Glasgow for his part in a Class A drug operation worth more than £400,000.
Fraser, 34, returned to the dock of Dundee Sheriff Court after previously admitting driving while disqualified and without insurance on Findowrie Street.
Fraser’s solicitor, Larry Flynn, said his client had driven to escape “domestic conflict”.
Fatal accident ruling
A Kinross-shire farmer was crushed to death by his own vehicle when it rolled on a hill, a fatal accident inquiry ruling states.
Derek Taylor, 55, died in an accident with a John Deere utility vehicle on the evening of September 18 2022.at Maidenwells, Farm, Rumbling Bridge.
In a written judgement, Sheriff Susan Duff said farm partner Mr Taylor suffered blunt force injuries to the chest as a result of being trapped under the vehicle.
She stated while there were no defects in his system of working, precautions might have prevented Mr Taylor’s death.
“The cause of the accident was the vehicle rolling on an incline causing it to collide with Mr Taylor.
“Precautions that could have been taken that, had they been taken, might realistically have resulted in the accident and Mr Taylor’s death being avoided would have been putting the vehicle in neutral, applying the handbrake and parking across the incline.”
She made no recommendations.
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