The resident of a faeces-strewn Kirkcaldy home in which children were found by police executing a drugs search warrant has been sentenced.
Richard King’s house was infested with flies, with an unidentifiable black ooze in the fridge and rotting food on the counter tops.
The bath was being used for storage and appeared not to have been used for some time.
Also within the property was almost a kilo of cannabis, valued at up to £7,000, and up to £1,500 worth of cocaine.
King, 30, admitted child neglect and drugs possession.
For the child neglect, he was ordered to complete 300 hours of unpaid work, and he was placed on a four-month 7pm to 7am curfew for the drugs offences.
Sheriff Alison McKay also fixed a Proceeds of Crime hearing for January 25.
She said: “The photographs before the court are frankly awful.
“To be fair to you, you have done everything you possibly can to turn matters around.”
Van wrecker compensation
Perth roofer Mark Dillon has been ordered to pay compensation to business rivals after he was caught on CCTV smashing up their work vans. The court heard the origins of the dispute which led to the vandalism were “lost in time”.
Sorry for singing
A man attacked his neighbour while trying to apologise for singing in a stairwell.
Michael Carcary was ordered to pay compensation for the assault at Foundry Lane, Perth, on New Year’s Day.
Perth Sheriff Court heard Carcary, 54, attempted to say sorry after being told to quieten down earlier that evening.
Fiscal depute David Currie said neighbours were met by him singing in the communal stairwell and asked him to “keep the noise down”.
He said: “At around 8pm, the accused knocked on the complainer’s door.
“There was an argument and the complainer was pushed to the rear of his head, causing to fall to the ground.”
Solicitor David Holmes, defending, said Carcary had been trying apologise when he went to speak to his neighbour “but things went wrong”.
Carcary, who admitted assault, was fined £300 and ordered to pay £300 compensation.
Ranting rebel
A Perth man launched into an anti-Queen tirade in the back of a police van after being busted for blasting out Irish rebel songs in the early hours of the morning. Ewan Grant, 32, chanted pro-IRA verse “ooh ah, up the ‘RA” and told officers they were “a bunch of paedophiles employed by the Queen.”
Dog fouling scrap
Witnesses saw a “scrum” at Chapelhill, Kirkcaldy, on August 29 2020 after Paul Stein, 31, attacked a neighbour’s grandson when a long-running dispute about dog fouling turned violent..
Fiscal depute Douglas Thomson said: “It’s fair to say there was a degree of retaliation.”
Stein admitted in the course of the fight, he pulled the male to the ground, repeatedly punched and kicked him to the head and body and struck him with a piece of wood.
It was explained Stein did not bring the wood – described by the prosecutor as being about six inches long and not big enough to be as a weapon.
Two other men were cleared of criminality at a hearing at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court.
Stein’s victim attended A&E and suffered bruising.
Solicitor David Cranston explained Stein and his neighbours had initially got on but a dog fouling problem had ensued after Stein removed his hedge.
“There was a lot of bad blood between the family about something that was unnecessary,” he said.
Sheriff Robert More ordered Stein to complete 70 hours of unpaid work in the next year.
Coach holiday horror
Horrified holidaymakers called police on their coach driver after he emerged from a Perth hotel with “bloodshot eyes” and reeking of drink. Michael Beattie was midway through a round-Scotland tour when he was boycotted by his passengers at Perth’s Station Hotel. He admitted being in charge of the bus with excess alcohol .
Saints ‘riot’ charges dropped
Criminal charges against two St Johnstone fans accused of being involved in a “near-riot” at McDiarmid Park have been dropped.
David McGranaghan, 22, and Ronan Rattray, 23, were due to stand trial at Perth Sheriff Court this week in connection with disorder on the night of Saints’ Scottish Cup win in May last year.
More than 20 people were arrested following the disturbance, of which five have so far been convicted.
Charges against another were deemed not proven.
However, proceedings against Mr McGranaghan and Mr Rattray have been officially shelved.
Their separate cases were formally “not called” on the day of their trials.
Mr McGranaghan, of Thistle Place, and Mr Rattray, of Lickley Court – both Perth – had denied allegations they behaved in a threatening or abusive manner, as part of a disorderly crown.
As part of their bail conditions they were banned from attending St Johnstone games, home or away.
For the latest court cases across Tayside and Fife, join our dedicated Facebook page.
