A Brechin benefit cheat has admitted scamming the public purse out of £5,000 by lying to DWP about living alone.
Vicky Robertson, of Drumachlie Park in the Angus town, appeared at Forfar Sheriff Court to admit obtaining Universal Credit to which she was not entitled.
The 43-year-old first offender pled guilty to knowingly making false statements to the DWP about livig alone between October 1 2022 and July 5 2023.
Robertson was initially charged with illegally obtaining more than £7,800.
Solicitor Billy Rennie said his client had saved £2,000 to pay back immediately and has been making payments at £40 per month.
He also confirmed Robertson was back in work.
Sheriff Mark Thorley ordered a social work report and deferred sentencing until April 10.
A package from America
An ethical hacking student studying in Dundee was at the heart of a sophisticated intercontinental cannabis smuggling operation. Xiang Chen, 23, was a courier for a shady delivery company, collecting and passing on drugs packages from North America. Jurors at Forfar Sheriff Court rejected his explanation he was just following orders from management and thought he was shifting boxes of cigars.
Smashed into flats
A Perth man who smashed his way into a block of flats and assaulted his mum’s ex-partner has been fined £1,000.
Mateusz Walantowicz went out for revenge after hearing the man had been in an altercation with his mother.
The 20-year-old and another man turned up at their target’s Perth city centre home at about 9.30pm on June 22 2023.
The pair could be heard shouting at the door of the communal close and neighbours then heard banging as they smashed open the door.
Fiscal depute Lissie Cook said the complainer stepped outside his flat and saw Walantowicz and the other man, faces covered, coming upstairs towards him.
“The complainer was punched to the head. This caused him to fall to the ground.
“The accused began kicking him as he curled up, trying to protect himself.”
The assault continued for about a minute and Walantowicz then shouted: “What did you do to my mum? Every time I see you, you’re getting the same.”
The complainer was left lying on the landing and having recognised Walantowicz’s voice, he called police.
Sheriff Elizabeth MacFarlane told Walantowicz: “Thankfully, there were no significant injuries but remember that it only takes one punch to kill someone.”
Cut up about friend’s photo
Scissor-wielding stylist Mehmet Celik went berserk in a barbershop and stabbed a rival hairdresser in the leg. He burst into Perth’s Top Class Turkish Barber salon and unleashed a frenzied attack on two employees because there were no photos of his friend – the salon’s previous owner – on the walls.
Lying thief
Christopher Menmuir, 27, appeared at Forfar Sheriff Court to admit defrauding three people out of almost £3,000 altogether.
Menmuir admitted that on May 3 2022, he attended at a property in 72 Warddykes Road in Arbroath and pretended he would carry out construction and maintenance work.
He lied to the resident that he would purchase materials for her and induced her to pay him £2,047.15.
After receiving the cash, Menmuir, failed to carry out any work or deliver promised materials.
On June 7, he pretended to a woman he would pay £250 for music festival tickets, induced her to transfer the tickets then failed to pay.
Further, between June and July of 2022, he agreed to sell a man various power tools and accessories for £400, induced him to pay and failed to send the promised items.
Menmuir, who had been living in Forfar, is now residing at The Furlongs in Hamilton, Lanarkshire.
Solicitor Nick Markowski said his client has addressed addiction issues he was suffering at the time.
Sheriff Mark Thorley deferred sentencing for background reports until March 27.
Reggae revenge
A young man celebrating his 21st birthday was left with a smashed jaw after being subjected to a horrific attack with a metal bat for calling a dreadlocked man “Bob Marley”. Michael Gray, 39, from Glenrothes, took offence to being compared to the reggae singer and took revenge several hours later.
Lidl attack
A Dundee woman attacked Lidl staff and police after she and her husband had been followed around the store by a security guard.
Nicole Ingram appeared at Dundee Sheriff Court via a video link from HMP Polmont to admit the string of assaults on September 27 last year.
Ingram bit two employees, injuring one, and kicked two police officers on the head – one at the South Ward Road shop and another at West Bell Street HQ.
Solicitor Jane Caird said her client suffers from OCD and Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder, as well as substance misuse and alcoholism.
Sheriff Tim Niven-Smith deferred sentencing and ordered background reports.
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