A heady cocktail of crime to take us into the weekend.
Buckfast warning
A Methil man has been told to keep away from Buckfast after admitting a drunken rant that left him soaked in blood.
Paul Humphrey was fined £1,200 at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court after admitting acting in a manner likely to cause fear or alarm.
The 47-year-old shouted, swore, threw household items and damaged doors in front of his partner at his Keir Hardie Street home on September 5.
Both his partner and neighbours who heard the rampage phoned police.
Humphrey was found with both hands covered in blood when officers arrived shortly before midnight.
He told officers he had been drinking Buckfast – something Sheriff Timothy Niven-Smith advised him against doing again.
The sheriff told him: “You have an unenviable and extensive record for violence.
“It seems in fairness to you, you’ve put that behind you.
“For over ten years you’ve managed to stay out of trouble.
“This would have been quite alarming.
“Strong tonic wine such as Buckfast is clearly something you should avoid in the future.”
Trumped up charge
An Angus man was been cleared of assaulting police officers by farting on them. Colin Simpson, 55, from Arbroath had been accused of attacking officers by “passing wind and burping on them whilst laughing.” He was cleared of a series of charges, including driving and sexual offences when the jury trial was ended after hearing from just one witness.
Swerved past school children
A drink-driver swerved past school children waiting for a bus.
Chef Bogimel Genov admitted at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court that on 18 August he drove through Glenrothes whilst more than double the limit (53 mics/22).
Genov, of Abbotsford Court had been driving his sister’s car home after drinking at a work colleague’s home the night before.
Genov had driven across an A92 roundabout at 8.40am, before swerving, while the vehicle was still travelling at between 15mph and 20mph.
“The vehicle then approached a bus stop busy with school children and the car veered to the left,” fiscal Depute Dev Kapadia explained.
A witness phoned police, who found Genov, 30, at his home.
His solicitor David McLaughlin said it had been a friend’s partner’s birthday the night before.
“He was offered alcohol and took a fair quantity of alcohol and the next morning he was over the limit.”
Sheriff Elizabeth McFarlane fined him £520 and banned him for a year.
Absolute discharge
In a rare legal move, a Perth woman was found guilty of assault but not convicted. Rebecca Edgley was granted an absolute discharge after a trial for assaulting her then-partner Steven Strang by throwing a pizza box at him.
Mr Strang admitted he punched the accused in the face and shut her in a cupboard before calling police as they fought.
Sheriff Gillian Wade told her: “We have seen the injuries you received.
“You clearly came out worst from this fight.”
Sniffing petrol, gas and glue
A Dundee man who had been sniffing gas sang sectarian songs at a nurse and kicked another at the peak of the first Covid outbreak.
William Hutchison, 52, assaulted a charge nurse at Ninewells accident and emergency, kicking out at her on April 20.
A month later, he was in an observation area at the same hospital, where he started singing sectarian songs against people of Catholic heritage, after he had been spoken to by a nurse with an Irish accent.
Depute fiscal Carrie-Ann Mackenzie told Dundee Sheriff Court he was brought by police to Ninewells, “appearing under the influence” and struggled with staff.
The court heard Hutchison lashed out at the nurse, who was fearful of the behaviour directed towards her.
On May 20, again in Ninewells, Hutchison abused staff.
The fiscal said: “The accused was singing in a loud and irate manner.
“He was spoken to by a nurse and asked to desist.
“The nurse believed the singing was aimed at her because of her Irish accent.”
Defence solicitor Mike Short said Hutchison could not recall the incident because he had been sniffing petrol, gas and glue.
“He accepts his behaviour was unacceptable and he does apologise.”
He was sentenced to 11 months in prison.
124mph show-off
Car valeter Shaun Anderson admitted he had been “showing off” to a friend when he sped on the M90 in Kinross-shire at 124mph. The 24-year-old from Kelty was fined and banned.
Post-crash drive
A Burntisland man who ploughed into a stationary vehicle and drove with two deflated tires, airbags deployed and a door hanging off has been disqualified.
Barry Kay admitted driving carelessly on September 1 and driving in a vehicle which was not in a suitable condition.
On Harriet Street in Kirkcaldy, the 39-year-old, of Kirkgate, crashed into a static vehicle shortly before midnight.
He admitted he drove carelessly and lost control.
Fiscal Depute Dev Kapadia told Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court: “The car span out of control and collided with the stationary motor car.
“The accused continued to drive at no more than walking pace.
“There was damage to the vehicle.”
One of Kay’s doors had to he held shut.
His solicitor David Cranston said he had tried to move the car to a safer location after the crash.
Sheriff Timothy Niven-Smith fined Kay £470 and disqualified him for a year.
The full caseload of the Dundee Crime and Courts Team can be found here.
