A joiner who threw a glass into another man’s face in a Stirling pub after being teased about his teeth has been fined.
Ben Purdon appeared at Stirling Sheriff Court to admit assaulting and injuring the man at Morrison’s Cold Beer Co on Murray Place on October 19 last year.
The court heard Purdon’s attack left his 20-year-old victim with cuts to the corner of his eye, his nose and his forehead.
Purdon’s solicitor said: “There had been a bit of childish banter prior.
“There were some comments made about Mr Purdon’s appearance and his teeth.”
“Mr Purdon accepts that was an assault and very much regrets this.”
The 24-year-old first offender, of Carrick Place in Falkirk, was fined £640 altogether.
Tailored threat
A Stirling woman held up a shopkeeper with scissors in an armed robbery and demanded he withdraw cash from an ATM for her. Amber Fleming admitted assault and robbery while chasing up debts owed by the boss of Erol’s Tailors in Stirling city centre.
‘Unusual’ sentencing
A violent domestic abuser “unusually” escaped punishment after months of being monitored by the social work department.
Marley Watt choked his former partner to the point of unconsciousness, as well as holding a knife against her neck and striking a wall next to her hand with an axe.
He was previously convicted by a jury of abusing his former partner between April 2021 and September 2022 in Stirling.
The 19-year-old was found guilty of being verbally abusive and discouraging the woman from associating with friends or family or attending school classes.
Watt was convicted of slapping her on the head and body, holding a knife against her neck and striking her with a metal brush, grinder, mobile phone and shoe.
He seized her in a headlock and compressed her throat, rendering her unconscious.
Jurors convicted him of threatening to kill her and her family, striking a wall she was next to with an axe, biting her hand and sending threatening texts.
Sheriff Derek Hamilton said he did not require to hear from Watt’s solicitor after reading background reports.
He told Watt, of the city’s Cultenhove Place: “There was a substantially reduced charge but still had significant elements to it, particularly, the compressing of the throat rendering the complainer unconscious.
“Given your age, the positive reports and in all the circumstances the positive reports that I have had, the recommendation is there is no need for further supervision.
“Unusually, you are now admonished.”
Admonishment means the accused has a criminal record but no further punishment is imposed.
Cafe boss cocaine crime
A former Stirling cafe boss caught with cocaine worth potentially £4,160 has been ordered to be of good behaviour.
Derek Crews previously admitted being concerned in supplying 52g worth of the Class A drug on the basis it was for “personal use” and not for onward commercial supply.
Stirling Sheriff Court heard the 43-year-old was supplying cocaine to his wife and sister-in-law.
Previous offender Crews, of Factory Road in Buckhaven, Fife, was sent on a “downward spiral” after the failure of his Stirling cafe business during Covid.
He is currently subject to a drug treatment and testing order from Dunfermline Sheriff Court and Sheriff Derek Hamilton deferred sentencing until May for him to be of good behaviour.
Bully attacks sentence
Frances Robertson and Michael Myles were sentenced after being in charge of a bully dog which attacked a Daschund in Stirling centre and a Rottweiler in Dunblane, respectively. The dog has since been destroyed.
Metal thief behind bars
Romanian national Asan Lili, who stole £5,000 worth of metal from a farm near Stirling has been locked up after failing to comply with social work reports ahead of sentencing for the crime.
Lili, reportedly living in Edinburgh, previously pled guilty to stealing metal from the property in the Blair Drummond area.
Solicitor Fraser McCready said of his client: “He said he had received a number of envelopes but has not opened any of them.
“If the letter (from the social work department) was received then he did not open it. He has not given me a proper explanation.”
Sheriff Derek Hamilton said: “You were fortunate to get bail on the last occasion. This was quite a cynical offence.
“You drove up in your van and took £5,000 worth of materials. It’s no longer appropriate that your bail is continued.”
Lili was remanded in custody until March for a report to be prepared.
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