A driver who pocketed nearly £18,000 from a cash and carry in a bogus guesthouse scam was ordered to do 200 hours of unpaid work and placed on a three-month curfew.
Colin Woods, 56, from Cowdenbeath, falsely claimed he was staying in Glasgow city centre while on duty between September 2021 and April 2023.
Woods submitted invoice receipts from “KB Guesthouse”, which he made up, to the Booker Group firm.
He had actually stayed with his partner at his home in Glasgow.
The scam was uncovered after a company investigation found that KB Guesthouse did not exist.
Woods was found guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court of embezzling £17,931 from Booker Group.
Sheriff Mary Shields ordered Woods to do 200 hours of unpaid work.
Ex-United striker compensation
A former Dundee United footballer has been ordered to pay compensation to police he fought in a drunken rammy. Allan Smart struggled with four officers in the unsavoury incident at an address in Barnhill last summer. He has been told to pay £1,000 to the officers involved.
Rapist appeal success
A sex offender from Fife who started repeatedly raping his victim when she was aged just three has succeeded in a bid to have his prison sentence cut.
Ronald Davidson, 55, was given a nine-year term last October after a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh.
A jury heard how he first abused his victim in 1982 and continued to sexually assault her until 1991.
He sexually abused another young boy at a house in Dunfermline.
Judge Lord Weir told Davidson, of High Valleyfield, he perpetrated a “disgraceful course of sexual conduct”.
However, lawyers for Davidson argued the sentence was excessive because Lord Weir did not take into account his youth at the time of the sentencing.
Appeal judges also heard their colleague did not consider Davidson had not offended in the intervening years.
His sentence was accordingly cut by two years.
At his trial last year, defence counsel Kenneth Cloggie said: “His offending commenced when was a child but it persisted until he was 21 years of age.”
He said Davidson had a good work record and strong work ethic and has cared for his wife for several years.
Davidson was placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely.
Pounced while on bail
A twisted sex offender who sexually abused children in Perthshire over a 15-year period – including attacking one while on bail – is behind bars. After being charged and appearing in court for raping two females, Corey Fair gained access to another child.
Bully hid dead fish
An abusive “bully” hid a dead fish in his ex-partner’s car after pouring fizzy juice over her while she was driving.
Ross Murray, 28, bombarded the woman with threatening phone calls and she was seen to physically shaking by a family member.
He later laughed down the phone and bragged about hiding the dead animal, which was found in her spare tyre compartment.
He pled guilty at Dundee Sheriff Court to separate charges from November 2023 and December 2024.
He has two previous convictions for domestic abuse against the same woman from 2023, for which he was given a community payback order.
Prosecutor Charmaine Gilmartin detailed how Murray dished out a week of abuse between November 6 and 14 2023.
“The complainer… says ‘I’m going to come down and punch your puss, your dad and your brother too.
“The complainer hung up. She was with a family member who described her as physically shaking.”
A row erupted during a car journey last December.
“The accused was extremely heightened and picked up a bottle of Vimto and emptied it all over her,” Mrs Gilmartin said.
He went on to pour the contents of a Pepsi can over her.
After she asked him not to hurt her again, Murray replied: “If you don’t get me my f*****g bike, I’ll do more than hurt you.”
Solicitor Jim Caird said his client was ashamed and embarrassed for his “rather bizarre behaviour”.
Sheriff John Rafferty interjected: “It’s the behaviour of a bully.”
Murray, according to Mr Caird, had spent time in the Carseview Centre for mental health treatment and had since been diagnosed with ADHD and anxiety.
As an alternative to custody, Murray was placed on a curfew (8pm until 5pm) for 100 days and made subject to supervision for 20 months.
A two-year non-harassment order was imposed and Murray was made subject to conduct requirements to engage with the community mental health team.
Dundee driving tragedy
Donal Rourke suffered a catastrophic brain injury and is “trapped within his mind and body” following the collision in the city’s Dunsinane Avenue.
The supermarket worker was rushed to hospital after being cut free by firefighters and needed life-saving surgery to remove a large part of his skull.
Mr Rourke now requires round-the-clock care, cannot speak and “doesn’t recognise anyone.”
Scott Cosgrove appeared at Perth Sheriff Court and pled guilty to causing severe injury to Mr Rourke by driving dangerously and at excessive speed on July 8 2021.
For more local court content visit our page or join us on Facebook.
