The midweek round-up.
Guilty of Glenrothes shop aggression
A 38-year-old man has been found guilty of behaving in a threatening and abusive manner in a Glenrothes shop.
Greg Martin, of Links Street in Kirkcaldy, threw items at Star News shopkeeper Tahir Mukhtar and pushed over tills several times during the incident on September 28, 2019.
A trial at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court heard from Mr Mukhtar that Martin entered the shop with another woman that evening.
He then confronted her about shoplifting and she returned some condensed milk and coffee.
Mr Mukhtar then accused Martin of stealing biscuits.
The shopkeeper, who has run Star News for 20 years, said he asked Martin to leave and another customer who entered the shop did the same.
He said that Martin then became aggressive.
Mr Mukhtar stated Martin managed to move the bolted-down till onto the floor, damaging the counter and causing £400 of damage.
The scratch card dispenser and a PayPoint terminal were also brought down and damaged by Martin, he said.
Mr Mukhtar had also claimed he could see Martin holding a knife with a four-inch blade in his right hand as he threw crisps and sweets at him with his left hand.
A charge alleging Martin was in possession of a knife was dropped.
Following the verdict on Wednesday, Sheriff Alison McKay said shop staff were left “frightened” by Martin’s behaviour.
She told the court: “While I accept he has been convicted of this lesser charge, his behaviour on this particular day was outrageous.”
The sheriff deferred sentence until March 23 for background reports and Martin’s bail was continued.
Cyclist death trial begins
The trial has started of Fife pensioner Adam Fernie, 80, accused of causing the death of 66-year-old cyclist Iain Anderson in 2019 by hitting him with a defective van. The first day heard from a bus driver who rushed to the cyclist’s aid. Fernie denies the charges and trial continues.
Door banger
A Dundee man has been fined after shouting and swearing while banging a door in the middle of the day.
Derek Lynch, 40, admitted behaving in a threatening and abusive manner in April of last year on Balmoral Avenue.
Dundee Sheriff Court heard Lynch had banged on a woman’s door and she could not understand a word of what he was saying.
She became distressed by his actions and called the police.
Defence solicitor Mike Short, in mitigation for Lynch, said his client had issues with alcohol and was apologetic.
Sheriff John Rafferty fined Lynch £100, plus ordered him to pay a £10 victim surcharge.
Whatsapp excuse
Former Dundee bus driver Abdul Radwan said child abuse images found on his phone were sent to him by Whatsapp but he had no explanation why he had opened them more than once. He was placed on the Sex Offenders Register.
Pizza shovel
A 24-year-old Fife man slapped a takeaway worker in the face during a drunken attack.
Graham Maddock, of Ford Crescent in Thornton, admitted assaulting Ahmed Ishfak at the Kismat Fast Food Takeaway on April 19.
Procurator fiscal depute Michael Robertson told Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court Maddock entered the takeaway as staff were serving another customer and Maddock called one employee “ignorant” before being told to wait his turn.
Maddock was then asked three times by Mr Ishfak what he wanted to order but he did not answer.
Mr Robertson said: “The accused jumped on to the counter with both hands without warning and slapped (Ahmed Ishfak) twice on the face and thereafter made him step back and pick up a pizza shovel, as he was alarmed about what the accused might do next.”
Police were called and Maddock was later arrested and charged.
Defence lawyer David Cranston said his client had frequented the takeaway for a number of years and got on with staff and even helped out with deliveries there in the past.
Sheriff Maryam Labaki told Maddock: “I understand you were intoxicated but that must have been a horrible ordeal for the person you assaulted while working.
“I note you are remorseful and have taken steps to address addiction to alcohol and that’s why there’s an alternative to a custodial sentence.”
Sheriff Labaki sentenced Maddock to 200 hours of unpaid work to be completed within 12 months.
Former St Andrews Motorhomes director denies ripping off customers in £776k fraud
The full caseload of the Dundee Crime and Courts Team can be found here.
