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Tuesday court round-up — Sectarian hate crime and child rapist prison attack

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

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A man sexually assaulted his ex-partner after entering her Dundee home uninvited.

Rafiqul Islam, 35, is now on the sex offenders register for a year after admitting the July 16 2023 attack.

Dundee Sheriff Court previously heard how the woman was woken by Islam, who asked who she was having sex with.

He was told to leave and she fled to a bathroom to phone 999 but was too scared to talk to officers because of Islam’s presence.

The creep then made sexual advances towards her and she was heard to say “don’t touch me” during a phone call to a friend.

She rejected all of his unwanted sexual contact and Islam was arrested by police.

Rafiqul Islam
Rafiqul Islam.

Islam, of Provost Road, previously admitted entering the woman’s home uninvited, repeatedly touching her chest and touching her indecently.

Sheriff Gregor Murray said: “You behaved appallingly.

“I would be perfectly entitled, not withstanding you have no criminal convictions of an analogous nature, to send you to jail for what you did.”

As a direct alternative, Islam must carry out 160 hours of unpaid work and was placed on supervision for 12 months and made subject of a three-year non-harassment order.

Dog deaths

Seven XL Bully dogs died in squalid conditions after being neglected, starved and dehydrated by their owner. Christopher McLaren is awaiting sentence after he admitted causing two adult dogs and five puppies unnecessary suffering before their deaths in Dundee.

Christopher McLaren
McLaren admitted neglecting the animals and keeping dead dogs in his flat.

Hate crime

A hate crime was committed when Marcus Sinclair, 46, of Oakley, assaulted a police officer in a Dunfermline pub.

Sinclair had consumed a “fairly massive” amount of booze after going out drinking following the end of a relationship, Dunfermline Sheriff Court heard when he appeared for sentencing.

He had earlier pled guilty to the assault at The Dugg House in Guildhall Street and behaving in a threatening or abusive manner – aggravated by religious prejudice – at the city’s police station on June 22 last year.

Prosecutor Rebecca Coakley told the court Sinclair was asked to leave the pub shortly before 8pm after becoming “irate” and police had to be called.

Sinclair pushed an officer to the ground while trying to kick him to the head.

An unknown female intervened, allowing the officer to request assistance and use PAVA spray.

Sinclair was taken to Dunfermline police station and ranted, “I will batter you, Irish b******s”, “rats,” and “I will smash your face in”.

He told one officer “I will punch your c**t in, you dirty orange c**t” and referred to another officer as a “Fenian”.

He continued shouting abuse as he was charged and said: “Where are you from? I’m going to kill you.”

Defence lawyer Stephen Morrison said Sinclair had gone out drinking after becoming “distraught” at his relationship ending and his recollection was not good because of the “fairly massive” amount of alcohol consumed.

He said Sinclair – a previous manager who is now an agency HGV driver – has no similar past offending and no particular feelings against the police.

Sheriff Paul Ralph gave Sinclair 75 hours of unpaid work.

Just Friends?

A nipple-rubbing pervert who made “sexually explicit noises” towards a prison officer while being brought to court for a separate sex offence tried to make Friends with Hollywood star Jennifer Aniston, a court has heard.

Gullible Gavin Ross was duped into sending money to an online scammer pretending to be actress who shot to fame as Rachel Green in the classic US sitcom.

Gavin Ross, Jennifer Aniston
Gavin Ross thought he had been contacted by Friends star Jennifer Aniston.

The serial sex offender, from Forfar, believed Aniston had slid into his DMs and offered him photos in exchange for cash.

The bizarre incident was related to Perth Sheriff Court by Ross’s solicitor as his client admitted another sexual conviction.

Child rapist attacks in prison

A convicted child rapist has had his sentence extended after attacking a fellow inmate at Perth Prison.

Douglas McDonald was jailed for 12 years in 2023 for repeated assaults on two toddlers in the 1990s.

The 56-year-old was last year handed an extra 40 months for a grisly knife attack in Forfar.

Now, McDonald has been sentenced to another 10, consecutive, months for an assault on prisoner Martin Morgan.

Fiscal depute Alan Bell told Perth Sheriff Court that on May 17 2024 a prison officer saw Mr Morgan holding his eye and when she asked what happened, McDonald told her: “He had it coming to him”.

Mr Bell said: “CCTV was reviewed. It showed the accused holding a plastic prison cup in his left hand.

“He approached Mr Morgan and struck him twice to the right-hand side of his head.”

Mr Morgan suffered a 4cm cut to his head, treated with Steri-Strips.

Defence agent Nick Markowski said his client had “limited recollection” of the incident but “had been subject to bullying”.

“As a result of this, he was placed on restrictions for 28 days. Basically, he was locked in his cell for that time.”

Mr Morgan was described as “hostile” witness.

‘Enjoy your hell’

A father shouted out “enjoy your hell” as dangerous Dundee predator Ben Johnston was led from court having admitted sending a teenager lewd Snapchat messages, including a video of him mimicking having sex with her. His offending took place just two months before a jury convicted him of sexually assaulting two females with the intention of raping them while prowling around Dundee.

Ben Johnston
Ben Johnston. Image: Facebook

House smash curfew

A rogue driver who dragged a dragged a police officer across the road after smashing into a house in Fife has been placed on a curfew.

David Bilson snuck into the BMW – which had fake registration plates – while it was parked at a friend’s house, before trying to speed away from officers.

The 20-year-old reversed over a garden, collided with a wall and house and dragged PC Ewan McKay across the ground.

Bilson previously pled guilty to the chaotic dangerous driving in the Monkmoss area of Ladybank on August 30 2024.

He was previously placed on a long-term deferred sentence to see if he could comply with a community payback order.

David Bilson
David Bilson.

Dundee Sheriff Court heard how officers were called out to the street at around 3.30pm to investigate anti-social driving linked to the same car.

While carrying out checks inside the address where the car was parked, officers heard the engine running.

Fiscal depute Michael Robertson said: “They returned outside and saw the accused Bilson in the driver’s seat reversing across the front garden.

“Officers instructed the suspect to stop. The accused did not and reversed into a garden wall bordering another property.

“Both officers attempted to switch off the engine, secure the vehicle and remove the accused.

“However, to no success and the accused kept his foot on the accelerator causing the engine to rev.”

Bilson drove forward and dragged PC McKay “a short distance” from the garden to the road.

The BMW caused damage to another property after Bilson smashed into it.

David Bilson crash, Ladybank
Police tried to get Bilson to stop. Image: Fife Jammer Locations

Mr Robertson added: “Both officers again attempted to remove the accused from the vehicle and instructed him to stop to which he did not.

“Once again, he collided with a garden wall.”

Provisional licence holder Bilson drove off and was lost to sight before being arrested and charged at a later date.

Bilson, of High Street, Pitlessie, was placed on a five-month restriction of liberty order keeping him indoors between 7pm and 7am and disqualified from driving for two years.

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