Hump day round-up, present and correct.
WWE ‘horseplay’
A Perth man who was “WWE-style wrestling” with a friend in a swimming pool car park has been placed under supervision.
Tyler Williams, 32, assaulted former pal George Notman outside Perth Leisure Pool after drinking alcohol.
Williams, of North Methven Street, admitted lunging at Mr Notman, seizing him by the neck, dragging him to the ground and repeatedly striking him on the body.
Perth Sheriff Court heard the pair met in the swimming baths’ car park and Williams placed Mr Notman in a headlock.
Both men fell to the ground and “an altercation ensued”, which was caught on CCTV.
Mr Notman phoned the police and Williams was arrested.
Defence solicitor Paul Ralph said: “It looks like it may have started off as horseplay – WWE style-wrestling each other to the ground.
“The pair of them have fallen out over that. They remain un-friends to this day.
“He’s taken a bit of a look at himself.”
Sheriff Neil Bowie placed Williams under supervision for a year and ordered him to complete 100 hours of unpaid work as an alternative to custody.
Jailed for attack
A thug who robbed a man of a backpack containing prescription medicine was jailed for 44 months.
Corey Witter, 30, hit Alexander Fyffe on the head with a piece of wood and demanded: “Give me the bag.”, the High Court in Edinburgh heard.
Advocate depute Peter Ferguson QC said on May 29 last year Mr Fyffe, then aged 38, was standing outside a shop on Buchanan Road, Glenrothes, carrying the backpack.
Witter, a prisoner in Low Moss jail, attacked him and grabbed the bag, before making off.
He admitted assault and robbery.
Defence solicitor advocate Iain Paterson said: “He accepts he struck him with a piece of wood.”
He said that after taking the bag the father-of-two had discarded it in a garden.
Lord Beckett noted Witter’s criminal record, which includes offences of attempted murder, possession of a knife, breaching bail and theft by housebreaking.
He told him: “Robbery is a serious crime.
“It is the complainer’s good fortune and yours, that the injury was not especially serious, causing only damage to soft tissue.”
Takeaway owner jailed
Dundee takeaway boss Ghulam Bajwa has been jailed for 12 years. He was found guilty of sexually abusing a girl for nearly two decades in Dundee and Dubai and abusing a young boy in Broughty Ferry. A judge said the shameless Curryummy owner’s future risk to the public could not be assessed because he continues to deny his crimes.
Plastic bag
A 29-year-old man has been accused of telling a child to put a plastic bag over her head in a Dundee park.
Connor Tait, a prisoner of HMP Perth, allegedly committed the offence on May 30 at Hilltown Park on Caldrum Street.
He faces a single charge of engaging in a conversation with the youngster and telling them to put a plastic bag over their head.
At Dundee Sheriff Court, Tait’s first diet was continued until next month by Sheriff Paul Brown.
Further reports
A sheriff has demanded a further assessment of an Angus sex offender targeted by online paedophile hunters.
William Rennie was at the Special Olympics when a vigilante mob turned up at his home in Forfar.
The sting followed a series of explicit online chats between Rennie, 30, and what he believed were children as young as 12.
He was unaware the youngsters were fake profiles operated by online “child safety” groups.
Rennie, of Old Halkerton Road, previously admitted four charges of sexually grooming “children” aged 12 to 15 between July 1 and August 11, 2018.
Last month, Sheriff Gillian Wade ordered a series of background reports to assess whether Rennie – who has learning difficulties – could take part in a rehabilitation scheme called Moving Forward: Making Changes.
On Wednesday, when Rennie returned to Perth Sheriff Court for sentencing, Sheriff Wade deferred the case again for a further assessment.
Sentence was deferred until November 4, to establish if Rennie was suitable for the Tay Project, another rehabilitation programme for sex offenders.
Rennie was released on bail.
In case you missed it…
Tuesday round-up – Foodbank assault and murder petitions
Monday round-up — Spitting mad and supermarket Creep
Friday round-up — Markies gift card scam
Thursday round-up — Card theft fraudster and exposure allegations
EXCLUSIVE: How fraudsters scammed Crieff restaurant out of £44,000 in elaborate curry racket