An abusive brute from Dundee has been jailed for three years – the same amount of time to which he subjected his former partner to violent terror.
James Burns, 30, was convicted by a jury at the High Court of Dundee last month of carrying out a series of attacks at addresses in the city between 2019 and 2022 and sentencing was deferred.
Burns repeatedly spat on the woman and threw household items at her while shouting, swearing and behaving aggressively.
Burns controlled her finances and repeatedly locked her inside a property.
He punched and kicked doors in the property and would only allow the woman outside if he accompanied her.
The jury heard how the victim was repeatedly pushed and punched on the head and body, thrown onto a bed, straddled and choked.
She was left injured after being struck on the head with a bottle and a can.
At the High Court in Glasgow, Burns, of St Clement Terrace, was jailed for three years for the abuse.
He also received a concurrent 10-week jail term for breaching bail just six months after it was granted at Dundee Sheriff Court in September 2022.
He repeatedly pursued and followed the woman and turned up at her place of work uninvited.
The High Court granted a non-harassment order to protect the woman for a period of 20 years.
Jurors cleared Burns of other domestic abuse charges and sexual crimes.
Murder charge
Croc Nicoll, 19, has been remanded after appearing in Forfar Sheriff Court charged with murdering his father in Arbroath.
Papers allege Nicoll assaulted his father, Derek Nicoll, by repeatedly striking him on the head with a hammer or similar implement, murdering him, at the home they shared in Commerce Street.
The exact date of the alleged murder is described in the charge as being unknown but is listed as being between February 4 and 11 this year.
Nicoll made no plea and was remanded in custody by Sheriff Mark Thorley.
Cruel video
A cruel pet owner filmed goading a dog into a fight-to-the death with a pet rat has been banned from keeping animals – apart from the dogs and ferrets he already has.
Liam Fair is seen swinging the rodent by the tail and batting it off his lurcher Jax’s nose in a Snapchat video that triggered a joint Scottish SPCA and police investigation.
When officers raided his home they found a menagerie of neglected animals, including five starving and worm-ridden puppies.
Fair, 21, of Crieff, later tried to explain away the rat-fight video to police by claiming he was training Jax as part of a fledgling pest control business.
Although banned from getting new animals, he has been allowed to keep those he already has.
A Scottish SPCA Inspector said: “We are devastated by the sentence Fair received. The sentence means he has been allowed to keep the eight dogs and ferrets currently in his care.”
Seething after Old Firm defeats
A seething Rangers supporter is under supervision after kicking off following Old Firm defeats.
Fuming fan Nathan Wallace appeared at Forfar Sheriff Court to be sentenced after admitting threatening or abusive behaviour at his home in John Street, Montrose, following his side’s derby defeats.
On December 30 2023, Wallace watched on in anger as his team were beaten 2-1 at Celtic Park.
Wallace lost his temper and acted aggressively and threatened to self-harm.
The 23-year-old then threatened one woman and kicked open a door, striking and injuring a second.
He repeatedly kicked and banged his front door and admitted resisting, obstructing or hindering police by flailing and lashing out.
Bailed Wallace kicked off in his home again on September 1 last year when Rangers were thumped 3-0 by rivals Celtic again at Parkhead.
Drunken Wallace shouted and swore while holding a knife and made threats.
Solicitor Nick Markowski said: “One of his passions is a football club from Glasgow.
“They play in blue. They’d got beat that day.”
Sheriff Allan Findlay placed Wallace under supervision for a year and ordered him to complete 70 hours of unpaid work in six months.
Urging Wallace to control his temper when the Ibrox side let him down, the sheriff told him: “That’s what happens when you follow the Rangers – that doesn’t mean you transfer your loyalties to the East End.
“Don’t come back, eh?”
Face bite thug
A Fife thug bit a policeman on the face and only let go when a colleague pepper sprayed him. Michael Traynor, 35, kicked off at officers as they tried to move him away from a block of flats in Cowdenbeath in the early hours of New Year’s Day last year. A male constable took Traynor to the ground where the lout sank his teeth into his cheek, drawing blood.
Cafe boss cocaine sentence
A former Stirling cafe boss caught with cocaine worth potentially more than £4,000 has been ordered to be of good behaviour.
Derek Crews previously admitted being concerned in supplying 52g worth of the Class A drug.
Crews’ guilty plea was on the basis it was for “personal use” and not for onward commercial supply.
Stirling Sheriff Court heard that the 43-year-old was supplying cocaine to his wife and sister-in-law
Specialist officers concluded that the drugs had a maximum potential street value of £4,160.
Previous offender Crews, of Factory Road in Buckhaven, was sent on a “downward spiral” after the failure of his Stirling cafe business during Covid.
Crews is currently subject to a drug treatment and testing order at Dunfermline Sheriff Court.
Sheriff Derek Hamilton deferred sentence on the Stirling case until May for him to be of good behaviour.
For more local court content visit our page or join us on Facebook.
