The latest from Tayside and Fife’s courts.
Kept digging after shovel attempt
A Kirkcaldy man was foiled after trying to break into a new car with a shovel.
Stuart Copeland appeared from custody at Dunfermline Sheriff Court and admitted repeatedly striking the 21 plate Volkswagen with a shovel.
Copeland, of Kinninmonth Street in Kirkcaldy, had attempted to force his way into the white car parked at a property in South Street, Lochgelly, on August 27.
The 39-year-old had also repeatedly pulled at door handles with the intention of stealing from the locked vehicle.
When PC Adrian Harmes arrived at the property to arrest him, Copeland kicked the officer on the body.
He also kicked the officer’s head after being taken to Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy on the same date.
Copeland admitted the assaults and the attempted break-in charge.
He is due back at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court on September 8 for sentencing.
Sexual comment
A Fife pensioner who made an unwanted sexual remark on the street has been placed on the Sex Offenders Register for five years.
Alexander Johnstone, of Kinghorn Road in Kirkcaldy, will also have to complete 175 hours of unpaid work.
71-year-old Johnstone had previously pled guilty to making a sexual remark towards a female on a street in West Lothian on October 17.
He admitted he did so intentionally and for the purposes of sexual gratification or to humiliate, distress or alarm his victim.
Johnstone’s solicitor said: “He acknowledges that his behaviour was inappropriate and he has expressed regret.”
Forbidden trip
An offshore worker’s trip to Highland Perthshire ended with a night in custody.
Ian Sutherland broke a strict non-harassment order by journeying to Pitlochry to see a woman he had been warned to avoid.
The 50-year-old was ordered to stay away from the woman after a hearing at Inverness Sheriff Court in March.
He appeared at Perth Sheriff Court on Tuesday and admitted the breach by “repeatedly approaching or contacting” her at Tummel Valley Holiday Park between August 1 and 30.
Sheriff Linda Smith deferred sentence until October 13.
Sutherland, of Suilven Way, Inverness, was released on bail but reminded the non-harassment order remained in place.
Banking boss abuse
Former banking boss Richard Meade will be sentenced in October after a 20-month campaign of abuse against an ex-partner. The 37-year-old ran up a credit card bill in her name, told HMRC she had not been paying tax and showed up at her workplaces, leaving her in tears.
Cannabis smell
A drug driver who was pulled over by police at Morrison’s in Arbroath has been disqualified.
William Gunn was flagged on Grant Street by police officers who intended to conduct a routine document check.
However, as officers approached the 26-year-old’s grey Ford, they noticed a strong smell of cannabis emanating from the vehicle.
Gunn, of the town’s Priory Crescent, failed a saliva test and had 5.3 microgrammes of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol in his system.
Sheriff Jillian Martin-Brown disqualified Gunn for a year and fined him £300 at Forfar Sheriff Court.
Passport burner
A Polish domestic abuser burned his baby’s passport because he feared his partner would flee the country with their child. Michal Kroczka engaged in an abusive course of conduct against his partner for 20 months, Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court was told.
In case you missed it…
Monday round-up — Language barrier and business bans
Friday round-up — Buckfast pictures and beatings
Thursday round-up — Feeding the meter a gramme at a time
Wednesday round-up — Bottle threat and mattress fire
EXCLUSIVE: How fraudsters scammed Crieff restaurant out of £44,000 in elaborate curry racket