A student who lashed out at her boyfriend after catching him with another girl at Dundee Ice Arena has escaped punishment.
Zhimeng Wu saw red after spotting her on-off partner with whom she shares a university class leaving the building on Valentine’s Day.
The 22-year-old shouted and swore at him, before swinging her arms towards him in a rage.
Wu – studying a post-graduate finance degree at the University of St Andrews – was charged and admitted abusive behaviour when she appeared at Dundee Sheriff Court.
Fiscal depute Kate Scarborough said: “The complainer expressed an opinion that the accused viewed the relationship more seriously than he did.”
Wu, of East Scores in St Andrews, was at the arena with a friend for ice-skating and shocked to see the man with another girl.
She was noted as saying phrases – roughly translated from Mandarin – like “idiot b*****d”.
The incident has had repercussions for Wu’s studies and she is currently banned from classes, with a risk assessment being carried out by the university.
Solicitor Jim Caird said: “She is full of remorse for what happened and her emotions got the better of her.
“She was waiting to tell the girl about the infidelity.
“An argument then developed between she and the former partner, with him indicating the relationship would be of little consequence.
“She emphasises to me that she has put this completely behind her.”
Mr Caird urged Sheriff Lindsay Foulis to grant Wu an absolute discharge, meaning no conviction is recorded and given in “exceptional circumstances”, as outlined by the Scottish Sentencing Council.
Sheriff Foulis said: “Having considered what I have been told by the Crown and also what I have been told on your behalf in mitigation, also taking into account the potential consequences with the university, I take the view this is a one-off.
“I am going to grant an absolute discharge.”
Festive smut
A convicted pervert from Arbroath is back on the sex offenders register after he shared his Christmas Day porn habit with an undercover police officer posing as a schoolgirl. Graham Orrock, who gained notoriety when he spent the summer of 2022 pilfering pants from washing lines in Arbroath, has been sentenced after being caught sharing festive smut. Orrock was warned of the supposed age of the girl he was Snapchatting but continued to send snaps of X-rated content he was watching on his TV.
Hot wax spray
A man who lost his temper swiped six lit candles across a room, before ripping a TV from the wall and grabbing his then-partner’s throat.
Grant Ferguson, 38, from Culross, appeared at Dunfermline Sheriff Court for sentencing having previously pled guilty to a domestically-aggravated charge of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner at his home on December 28 2023.
The court heard the pair had been arguing and Ferguson became angry.
Prosecutor Matthew Knapp said he “swiped six lit candles” and hot wax was sprayed across the room.
Ferguson then ripped a TV off the wall and threw it to the living floor.
The woman became upset and pushed and followed him, asking for her car keys back but he became angrier and grabbed her by the throat and she went to the ground.
He held her neck for a couple of seconds, before apparently realising what he was doing and letting go.
Defence lawyer Shona Westwood said Ferguson was under the influence of alcohol at the time and has been trying to address alcohol issues through rehab.
Sheriff Clair McLachlan sentenced him to 150 hours of unpaid work as part of a community payback order.
Ms Westwood said Ferguson recently appeared for sentencing at Hamilton Sheriff Court for another matter and was given 100 hours of unpaid work, two years of offender supervision and a requirement to undertake the Caledonia programme.
Seven times limit
A flight attendant was found slumped over the steering wheel of his Mercedes while nearly seven times the drink-drive limit. Andrew Meenan, 36, appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court to plead guilty to being in charge of the car with excess alcohol.
‘Out to batter junkies’
Police were subjected to a torrent of abuse by a topless and barefoot lout who wanted to “batter junkies”.
Intoxicated Luke McRae was found wandering outside his home on Dundee’s Dens Road on August 24 last year.
Officers had been called to deal with a “disturbance” involving McRae at around 9.20pm.
Fiscal depute Michael Robertson told Dundee Sheriff Court: “Constables arrived and traced the accused with no top on and barefooted.
“He appeared heavily under the influence and police engaged with him.
“He stated ‘I am out to batter junkies.'”
McRae turned his attention to passers-by and officers heard him say: “What are you looking at? You want a fight? Ginger paedo. Let’s go. Square go.”
Jobless McRae was handcuffed but his abuse continued en route to the West Bell Street headquarters, where he spat in the cell area of the police van.
McRae pled guilty to the abusive behaviour charge and solicitor Kyle Short said: “This is an isolated incident and out-of-character.
“He’s ashamed of his actions.”
He was ordered to perform 80 hours of unpaid work.
Drugs in pants
A man serving four years in Perth Prison for a Brechin stabbing has had his sentence extended after shifting drugs between halls in his pants. Kevin Sorrie was caught with cannabis, cocaine and a designer drug in his boxer shorts while on remand for the vicious Angus assault.
‘Remember who the king is’
A Rosyth racist called his victim a Polish “c**t” after telling him to “remember who the king is” and mumbling about football results.
Craig Davis, 43, verbally abused the customer in front of his nine-year-old son at Touch of Poland in Dunfermline’s Guildhall Street while visiting the shop to buy strawberry vodka.
Dunfermline Sheriff Court heard Davis had also made offensive remarks to staff at Shalimar takeaway in Rosyth and causing £200 of damage there a few months earlier.
Davis, of Kings Place, appeared in the dock for sentencing after earlier pleading guilty to a racially aggravated charge of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner on September 12 2024 and to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner and resisting arrest on May 30 and 31 last year.
Prosecutor Matthew Knapp told the court Davis asked the shop customer if he was from Romania and was told he was not.
“Mr Davis pointed his fingers in his face and said words similar to ‘remember who the f***ing king is’.
“He mumbled about recent Scotland v Poland football games but due to intoxication, it was difficult to understand the words being said”.
Mr Knapp said Davis went up to the man’s face, causing alarm, calling him a “Polish c**t” and shouting “the f***ing Polish”.
The court heard that on May 30 last year, Davis was at the Shalimar takeaway and told by staff he was barred.
He refused but was escorted out by a worker before forcefully pushing the door back open and damaging plasterboard in the wall behind it.
He challenged the worker to fight and when being arrested at home the next day, struggled with officers.
Defence lawyer Stephen Morrison said there is a significant issue with Davis’ alcohol misuse and over an extended number of years and his recollection of the incidents is “not particularly great” as a result.
Sheriff Clair McLachlan sentenced Davis on the earlier incident to a six-month restriction of liberty order and an 18-month community payback order with offender supervision.
The sheriff deferred sentencing on the racially aggravated incident to a future progress review date.
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