A 43-year-old woman threatened to kill her ex-partner when she visited her home to collect a parcel on Valentine’s Day.
Francis Gilmour, of Inveraray Avenue in Glenrothes, pled guilty to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by shouting and swearing and acting aggressively towards the woman on February 14.
Procurator fiscal depute Mat Piskorz told Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court a parcel ordered by the victim had been sent to Gilmour’s address.
She knocked at the door and shouted to enquire about it and Gilmour started shouting and swearing back.
The depute fiscal said: “She eventually came to the door with the parcel and stated to the complainer she would kill her.”
Defence lawyer Kerr Sneddon said the women had been in a relationship some time ago and had been neighbours for at least a year before the incident.
Mr Sneddon said his client indicated there had been a “bit of bad blood” between them over previous remarks she had made.
The solicitor added: “It was a storm in a teacup.”
Sheriff Ian Anderson fined Gilmour £90 and imposed a non-harassment order for one year.
Left victim unconscious
Paul McMullan will be sentenced later after he was found guilty of battering a woman and leaving her unconscious with a piece of material tied tightly round her neck. His victim was not found until two days later.
Bar assault
A Dundee man has been given an unpaid work order after throwing a glass at a bar worker.
Bryan Wrycza, 39, of Polepark Road, admitted assaulting the woman, who was employed at the Bayhorse Bar at the time – December 12 2019 – by throwing a glass at her.
He further admitted behaving in a threatening and abusive manner by struggling violently with police, acting aggressively, shouting, swearing and attempting to bite them as they tried to place him in handcuffs on June 1 2020.
Wrycza was ordered to carry out 150 hours unpaid work by Sheriff Alastair Carmichael at Dundee Sheriff Court.
This was given as a direct alternative to custody, Wrycza was told.
Attempted murder charge
Steven Greig, 44, from Dundee, appeared in private at the city’s sheriff court accused of attempted murder, relating to an incident in Lochee on Wednesday. He made no plea and the case was continued.
Drink-driver overtook police
A drink-driver was caught after he overtook a marked police van at speed at 2am in Dunfermline.
Fraser Storrar, of Keltyhill Avenue in Kelty, later gave a breath in alcohol reading of 76 mics/100 ml, which is more than three times the legal limit.
The 35-year-old appeared at Dunfermline Sheriff Court to admit the charge and was fined £550 and banned from driving for 27 months by Sheriff Francis Gill.
Procurator fiscal depute Jill Currie told the court police stopped Storrar after he overtook them in a marked police van on the dual carriageway Queensferry Road near Pitreavie Golf Club, around 2am on February 13.
Officers believed he was driving too fast.
Defence lawyer Stephen Morrison told the court Storrar had been at a friend’s house and had intended to stay there but decided to drive a “friend of a friend” home as the person was “becoming argumentative.”
Mr Morrison said: “It was an error of judgement to say the least and he is not proud of himself.”
The solicitor said Storrar, a roofer, had previously been convicted of a drink-drive offence in 2009.
Sheriff Gill told him: “It’s a matter of good fortune there were not more serious consequences in this type of situation.”
‘Creative’ sext pest
The solicitor for Fife sext pest Ross Perrie told Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court: “If he used his creative talents in other ways, he could be quite an author.” 24-year-old Perrie targeted seven women with his “sexualised and vulgar” messages last year.
Abuser had victim’s hair in mouth
Fife man Michael Berry, who still had his domestic abuse victim’s hair in his mouth when he was caught by police, has been caged for 30 months.
He had turned up uninvited, shouting and swearing, before placing her in the headlock, throwing her and attempting to pull her down a flight of stairs.
The 33-year-old HMP Perth inmate repeatedly punched her on the body, causing her to fall down and then repeatedly kicked her on the head and body while she was on the floor.
Berry seized her by the legs and again attempted to pull her down stairs before repeatedly biting her on the face and head.
During his violent rampage, Berry threatened to kill the woman.
He left briefly but when he returned, police were present and noticed the woman’s hair “hanging from his mouth.”
Berry also admitted making remarks about police, stating he wanted their families to die of cancer or Covid-19.
He admitted his campaign of terror between August and September last year, at properties in Dallas Drive and Glamis Road in Kirkcaldy’s Templehall area.
His solicitor said he had misused substances and also had anger issues, for which he is seeking help.
Appeal loss
White supremacist Sam Imrie has lost an appeal against the length of his seven-year prison sentence for terrorism and child abuse charges. Judges have ruled the term is appropriate for the Nazi-glorifying 24-year-old who told social media followers he was going to attack the mosque in his home town.
The full caseload of the Dundee Crime and Courts Team can be found here.
