A busy end to the week for the Crime and Courts Team.
79th crime of dishonesty
An Arbroath man asked a sheriff to lock him up after being convicted of his 79th crime of dishonesty.
Karl Simpson asked Sheriff Jillian Martin-Brown to hand him a prison sentence exceeding three months so he would be rehoused elsewhere after his release.
32-year-old Simpson, was sentenced at Forfar Sheriff Court after raiding a string of Angus supermarkets.
On June 14, he stole £399 worth of booze from the Co-op on Trinity Road in Brechin.
On October 8 he visited Morrisons on Hume Street in Arbroath and Tesco on Western Road in Montrose, stealing alcohol from both and perfume from the former.
All of the items, worth £318.50 in total, were later recovered.
His final spree came on November 3, back at Morrisons in Arbroath.
He stole £81.50 worth of alcohol which was never traced.
Appearing in the dock from custody, Simpson was jailed for 250 days.
His defence solicitor Brian Bell explained he was asking to be locked up for an extended period of time so that his home in Arbroath’s Sidney Street would be taken off him and he could start afresh elsewhere.
Mr Bell said: “Part of the difficulty is he goes back to the address on the complaint.
“Within that vicinity, there’s plenty people involved in drugs.”
Mr Bell said he felt sorry for the next person to live in the home.
Locked up
Liam Pytlak, 23, from Forfar, has been jailed for a litany of crimes, beginning with a Christmas Day rammy and ending with a racial slur against a shopkeeper.
Car con court claim
A car dealer accused of conning a green energy organisation into handing him £100,000 for non-existent hybrid cars will stand trial next year.
Murray Wilkinson denies forming a fraudulent scheme to dupe the Energy Saving Trust out of a six-figure sum.
It is alleged the 57-year-old used his company, Aberuthven-based Cars and Vans 2 Rent Ltd, to front the scam.
Prosecutors claim as company director, he submitted a loan application to the trust under a scheme that was set up to facilitate the purchase of environmentally friendly vehicles.
The charge alleges Wilkinson, of Orchil Crescent, Auchterarder, pretended he had bought three such vehicles and submitted forged invoices, which induced the Edinburgh-based Trust into transferring a sum of £100,000 into the company’s bank account.
The charge alleges he gained money he was not entitled to – knowing he had not purchased hybrid vehicles – between August 29 and October 5 2016.
The case called at Perth Sheriff Court in Wilkinson’s absence.
His solicitor tendered a not guilty plea and told the court Wilkinson was ready for trial.
The trial was scheduled for February 7.
Knocked woman unconscious
Cameron Lamley, of Smiddy Haugh, Forfar, has been handed a restriction of liberty order and unpaid work order for assaulting a woman at a party.
On the evening of January 26, 2020, Lamley and his partner were at a small gathering of family and friends at their home.
Tattoo artist Lamley got into an argument with a woman over a recent family tragedy.
He seized her by the body and knocked her head against a wall, rendering her unconscious.
Another witness called for the emergency services while a male restrained Lamley.
When police attended, Lamley acted in a hostile and threatening manner towards them.
Defence solicitor Scott Norrie cited the tragedy some four months earlier was behind the argument that ended in the assault.
Mr Norrie told the court his client was later diagnosed with PTSD.
Mr Norrie also noted several witnesses had asked the Crown not to take the case any further, calling the incident a “family brawl”.
Sheriff Lorna Drummond told Lamley that despite the seriousness of the offence, she was “satisfied” to opt for a non-custodial sentence.
“These are serious offences, I don’t need to tell you that, particularly charge three in which you hit somebody’s head against a wall and rendered them unconscious.
“You should expect jail for that.
“[However] I accept that this happened after a sad occurrence in your life, you’ve been diagnosed with PTSD, you have a good work ethic.”
Sheriff Drummond sentenced him to 270 hours of unpaid work and imposed a restriction of liberty order for 135 days.
Tarnished armour
A “knight in shining armour” has had his disqualification extended after being caught driving home after giving a jump start in Montrose.
Lyuboslav Dimitrov admitted driving while disqualified and without insurance on May 9 when he was caught driving back after helping a stranded beachgoer whose car wouldn’t start.
The 25-year-old had been at Traill Drive when his partner said her friend needed a late night jump start there.
Police passed when he was assisting with the broken down vehicle but pulled him over when he was driving home to Glenclova Place.
His defence solicitor said the decision had been an “error of judgement” by the “knight in shining armour.”
Dimitrov’s had been disqualified for 18 months for dangerous driving and his ban was set to expire in 2022.
Sheriff Jillian Martin-Brown banned him for eight months concurrently and fined him £200.
Police chase
Police used a stinger device to stop Robert Traynor from Dundee at the end of a 24-mile chase up the M90 from Kinross-shire to the Carse of Gowrie. Sentence was deferred.
Bogus workmen charges
Two men are facing allegations of scamming a Monifieth household out of £3,000 for unnecessary garden work.
Alexander and Michael Crumlish, both of Labre Place in Derry, Northern Ireland, are facing allegations of targeting a home in Ardownie Street in April.
It is alleged the pair, who are 23 and 31, told the householders work was required in their garden as a consequence of complaints.
As a result, the duo allegedly fraudulently induced the residents to pay £3,000 for work which ultimately was not completed.
Court papers also allege the pair failed to give their targets a notice of right to cancel their contract.
It is also alleged on various occasions between April 19 and 26, the pair repeatedly attended at the address and engaged in “aggressive commercial practices.”
They are accused of repeatedly asking for £6,000 to replace a fence and allegedly told the residents they would lose their employment if they did not agree to pay.
Neither of the accused attended at a hearing at Forfar Sheriff Court.
Their case was continued without plea until December 2.
In case you missed it…
Thursday round-up — Drink drive police dive
Wednesday round-up — Post-op assault and legend fined
Tuesday round-up — Vodka, Monster and testicles
Monday round-up — ‘Aye, that’s fair enough’