Thursday court round-up — Window jump and vodka rage

By Crime and Courts Team

July 15 2021, 7:30pm

As relentless as the summer sun – the daily court round-up.

Window jump

A Fifer who climbed out a window to evade police who caught him breaching court orders had been fined.

Gareth Jones, of Royal Buildings in Ladybank, breached court-imposed orders not to contact his neighbours on December 10, 2020.

While still at the locus, 42-year-old Jones resisted, obstructed and hindered police.

Jones jumped from the window in an attempt to flee the scene.

Sheriff Alison Michie fined him a total of £270.

‘Pervert’ objection

A convicted sex offender assaulted two women in Blairgowrie because he thought they were talking about him. William Bannigan overheard part of a conversation between his two victims in which they mentioned perverts.

Vodka theft rage

A shoplifter who threatened staff at two Perthshire supermarkets has been jailed for nine months.

Andrew Rattray flew into a rage when confronted over the theft of two bottles of vodka at the Co-op in Scone’s Perth Road.

He told workers: “I’ve got a scalpel and I’m not afraid to use it.”

Fiscal Kristina Kelly told Perth Sheriff Court an employee became suspicious of Rattray when he entered the shop on April 25.

“She reviewed CCTV and saw the accused place two bottles of vodka, worth £38, under his T-shirt before leaving the shop.”

Rattray, 48, was confronted when he returned later that evening but denied being there and became aggressive.

Staff hit the panic button and called for police after Rattray mentioned the scalpel.

Rattray then approached a worker and told him: “You better watch out. You’re going to get a hiding.”

Rattray also got involved in an altercation with staff at Sainsbury’s, High Street, Perth, on July 7.

Ms Kelly said that after he was confronted about alleged shoplifting, he swung a punch at an employee, narrowly missing him.

Solicitor Paul Ralph said Rattray, who stays at the Skinnergate resettlement unit, was “deeply apologetic”.

Sheriff Neil Bowie told Rattray: “This was considerable more serious than shoplifting, in that it escalated to threats and assault on staff who were just trying to do their job.”

Rattray admitted a charge of theft, assault and two counts of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner, likely to cause fear or alarm.

Dundee double assault

A pair of Dundee teenagers have admitted assaults on Blackness Road.

Brandon Munro, 19, and Craig McLaren, 18, appeared in the dock together to plead guilty to carrying out the attacks on December 22 2019.

Munro, of Bowbridge Court, admitted assaulting Gaetano Traina by repeatedly kicked him on the head.

McLaren, of Mary Slessor Square, admitted assaulting Vincenzo Lilla.

Mr Lilla was left injured after McLaren butted him on the head and repeatedly punched and kicked him on the head and body.

Sentencing was deferred for reports until August 12.

Hot tub sex attacker

Hot tub sex attacker Daniel Crees was jailed after assautling three women at parties at his Perthshire home. The predator had returned from his wedding in Las Vegas just hours before the first assault.

Animal neglect charges

A pair of people from Kirkcaldy are facing significant animal neglect charges.

Chloe Ewing, 32, and Ryan Stewart, 31, both of Winifred Crescent are on petition and neither made a plea.

It is alleged that between November 16 and December 7 last year, the pair caused their dog Sky, unnecessary suffering.

Both are alleged to have failed to provide the dog with adequate nutrition, care and treatment.

Ewing and Stewart are both accused of failing to obtain veterinary advice for the dog when it was suffering from health conditions including weight loss and skin conditions including hair loss.

Both are also accused of failing to take such steps as were reasonable in the circumstances to ensure Sky’s needs were met.

On December 7, it is alleged they failed to provide Sky with a suitable environment and exposed the animal to faeces and urine.

Sheriff Veal ordered both to appear at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court on August 12.

Biker menace

A young teenager has been convicted of careless driving in Fife after riding a motorbike at a policeman. The then-15-year-old has sped away from police on a pit bike and drove across the Leslie viaduct at Glenrothes, straight at one officer.