The brother of a Fife terror suspect has failed to appear in court for threatening a man whose attack on a woman months later led to the deaths of her unborn twins.
Josh Imrie, 24, of Colliston Avenue, Glenrothes, was expected to be sentenced at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court for behaving in a threatening or abusive manner towards Stephen Ramsay at an address in Delgatie Avenue on August 20 2018.
After his 22-year-old brother Sam was arrested and charged with terrorism offences following a major police operation on Saturday, the court was told Imrie was “not mentally strong enough” to appear at court before Sheriff Jamie Gilchrist QC.
Imrie admitted acting in an aggressive manner by repeatedly striking and kicking a door of a property in Delgatie Avenue, causing damage, and then struggling with Ramsay during the incident on August 20 last year.
Ramsay later went on to attempt to murder his pregnant partner Lisa Donaldson at an address in Delgatie Court on February 23 by compressing her throat and restricting her breathing, punching her and striking her on the neck with a knife causing severe injury, permanent disfigurement and endangering her life.
The resultant blood loss caused the death of her unborn babies. He is due to be sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow in September.
Appearing at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court, Imrie’s solicitor Christine Hagan revealed how the weekend’s police raid at the family home had caused her client’s mental health to deteriorate “quite significantly”, which meant he could not appear for sentencing as scheduled.
Ms Hagan said there had been a significant police presence in Colliston Avenue over the weekend and her client had been “physically ejected” from the house as it was being forensically examined.
“He didn’t seem mentally strong enough to appear today,” she added.
His brother Sam appeared in private at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court on Monday to face two charges under the Terrorism Act 2006 and made no plea.
The case was continued for further examination and he is expected to appear again at Kirkcaldy next week.
In relation to Tuesday’s proceedings against Josh Imrie, Sheriff Gilchrist QC agreed to further defer sentence until August 8 for his personal appearance.
