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Monday court round-up — Attempted murder and car blaze charges

A round-up of court cases from Tayside and Fife.

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A man is custody over claims he attempted to murder three people in Dundee, before torching his car.

Declan Thom, 20, allegedly drove a Ford Focus Zetec at the trio at speed before they managed to jump out the way in the Douglas area on February 12 this year.

Thom made no plea at Dundee Sheriff Court in connection with multiple charges.

It is alleged Thom repeatedly shouted and threatened two women, including his partner or former partner, on Longtown Place before driving dangerously on Ballindean Road and Balunie Avenue.

Prosecutors allege he drove at excessive speed, repeatedly reversed his car and collided with another vehicle.

One of the women is said to have been a passenger in the other car.

Thom, of Finavon Place, allegedly then drove at speed, failed to give way at a junction and narrowly avoided a collision after overtaking another vehicle.

Separate charges allege he failed to report the incident, drove while disqualified and without insurance.

His partner or former partner was allegedly assaulted as a result of Thom reversing at speed towards her to the danger of her life

It is alleged Thom attempted to murder two women and an unknown man by reversing at speed towards them.

Thom, accused of being subject of two bail orders, is then alleged to have taken his car to Middleton Woods and set fire to it in an attempt to pervert the course of justice.

He made no plea when he appeared for a short, private hearing on petition.

Sheriff Elizabeth McFarlane remanded Thom in custody after committing him for further examination.

Teacher registration

A former Kirkcaldy secondary school teacher has been placed on the sex offenders register after sending explicit videos of himself to former pupils. Gilles Brown was found guilty of sending lewd videos to three teenage women who he had previously taught at a school in the Fife town.

Gilles Brown
Gilles Brown.

Caught by hunters

A Perth pervert has been placed on the sex offenders register after admitting sending sordid messages to a paedophile hunter posing as a 13-year-old.

Peter Moffat, of Market Street in Perth, appeared in the dock at Perth Sheriff Court to admit attempting to communicate indecently with a child and trying to cause a child to view a sexual image.

The 62-year-old was in correspondence with what he thought was a 13-year-old girl called Natalya between October 25 and November 1 last year.

In fact, he was chatting with an adult vigilante paedophile hunter.

Peter Moffat
Peter Moffat.

During chats on Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, Moffat asked the “girl” to send him intimate snaps of herself.

He also sent her photos of a penis.

Moffat was confronted by hunters then reported to police.

Prosecutor Andrew Harding said: “The accused stated he did not believe she was 13 as she looked older and this is why he continued to communicate with her.

“He went on to say he felt embarrassed and ashamed.”

Sheriff William Wood deferred sentencing until April 16 for reports and placed Moffat on the sex offenders register in the meantime.

Just Eat stalker

A Just Eat delivery driver began stalking a woman over the festive period after taking food to her home in Fife. Zaid Muhammad, 27, from Dunfermline, made a bogus delivery so he could speak to her and on another occasion sat in a car outside her home before following behind her to her door.

Zaid Muhammad
Zaid Muhammad.

Flower vase peeping tom deferral

A serial voyeur who set up a clandestine camera in a woman’s bedroom has had his sentencing pushed back to explore the possibility of a “keep away” order.

Peeping tom Andrew Thomas concealed a phone camera inside a vase of flowers to spy on a 65-year-old woman in her Highland Perthshire home.

He was caught changing the battery when she had gone out to church.

After the 49-year-old pled guilty, sentencing was deferred for background reports.

Sheriff Alison McKay said: “There’s no doubt Mr Thomas is at the threshold of custody. It has to be at the forefront of my mind.

“I probably couldn’t send him to custody for as long as he deserves.

“Absolutely understandably, the complainer feels completely violated.

“There is no doubt that your behaviour is serious and there is no doubt that custody is one of the alternatives available to the court.

“I think there may be a community-based disposal available and appropriate in this case.

“I would want to know more about the complainer’s position and in particular if a ‘stay-away’ restriction was appropriate.”

Andrew Thomas at Perth Sheriff Court
Andrew Thomas.

In 2014, the former offshore worker was handed an unpaid work order after he was caught secretly filming a female colleague while she showered in her cabin on a North Sea oil rig.

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