An Anstruther shopkeeper has appeared in court accused of being concerned in the supply of diamorphine from his East Neuk store.
Rajiv Sharma, 49, appeared in private from custody at Dundee Sheriff Court.
He faces an allegation that on February 2, he was concerned in the supply of drugs at A&A Stores, the High Street East business he owns.
The 49-year-old owns the High Street East business.
He faces a further charge that on April 25, he possessed diamorphine at his home in Woodside Avenue, Dundee.
A third charge also alleges that on April 25, he was in possession of an indecent image or pseudo-image of a child at his home.
He made no plea and was released on bail.
Widow’s mercy plea
A lorry driver who killed a cyclist from Tayside has been spared jail after a sheriff was moved by an impassioned plea for mercy by the victim’s widow. David McGarry, 59, failed to keep a proper lookout on A85 in Perthshire and struck retired Edinburgh City Council art teacher Neil Smith, 74, formerly of Arbroath. Mr Smith’s widow, Dr Savi Maharaj said it was an accident and she was not seeking “retribution”.
Drug-dealing paedophile
Detectives who carried out a raid on a paedophile’s Dundee home discovered he was also a drug dealer peddling thousands of pounds worth of cocaine.
Reece Boyle‘s phones were analysed and showed he had downloaded horrific images and videos of toddlers being sexually abused.
One phone also contained of messages from drug users ordering cocaine.
Boyle, 26, of Findhorn Street, admitted that between September 6 2018 and November 30 2021 he downloaded indecent images of children.
At Dundee Sheriff Court, he also admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine between May 26 2020 and December 1 2021.
Fiscal depute Lee Corr told the court Boyle had three phones and child sexual exploitation and abuse material was recovered, some of it in the most serious category.
There were 1,042 images, and ten videos with a running time of nearly seven minutes, found on the cracked iPhone.
“Whilst carrying out the search, several drug items were seen,” Mr Corr said.
A bag of white powder was found to be cocaine worth £5,213.
£2,000 in cash was recovered and the phone had a number of messages which suggested Boyle was dealing cocaine.
Sheriff Jillian Martin-Brown deferred sentence for reports and warned Boyle he could be jailed.
Stamp kill bid
A thug left a friend brain damaged after stamping on him in Dundee city centre. David Gibson, 34, had been freed on bail just a day before he tried to kill Derrick Smith, 46, leaving him so badly hurt, he could only initially be identified from a tattoo he had.
Swinger compensation
A hotel guest who badly damaged a glass chandelier by swinging on it 60 feet above reception has been ordered to pay nearly £8,000 in compensation.
Oil worker Ross MacPhail shocked staff and guests by clambering onto the £50,000 fitting.
Shards of glass fell into the foyer as MacPhail clung on for several minutes.
At Dundee Sheriff Court, MacPhail was ordered to pay £7,925 to cover the cost of repairs to the custom-built chandelier.
He was told to pay £5,000 within a week and the rest at £500 per month.
Sheriff Paul Brown also placed him under social work supervision for 12 months and said: “It is a serious matter and this is an alternative to custody.”
MacPhail, 33, told the court that he had become “infamous” as a result of the dangerous prank, which took place during a festive stay at Sleeperz Hotel.
He was still there when police arrived to talk him down and deliberately banged glass pendants together to smash them.
MacPhail, of Jarvis Place, Carnoustie, admitted wilfully or recklessly destroying or damaging property.
The Crown accepted his not guilty pleas to two further charges – including striking an employee with falling broken glass and exposing staff and the public to the risk of injury.
He was also cleared of resisting, obstructing or hindering police by struggling with them on January 3.
Pensioner sting
A wheelchair-bound pensioner who tried to groom a teenage girl was actually communicating with an undercover police officer.
James Yule, 77, sent explicit sexual messages to “Lola” online and believed she was a schoolgirl under the age of 16.
Dundee Sheriff Court was told Yule was snared by an operation set up to catch adults involved in online grooming attempts.
Yule, from Dundee, admitted that between July 21 and August 1 last year he repeatedly sent written sexual communications.
Solicitor David Sinclair, defending, said his client suffered from “loneliness” and that was at the root of his offending behaviour.
Yule was placed under a curfew for 150 days and under social work supervision for a year.
He was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register for five years.
For the latest court cases across Tayside and Fife, join our Courts Facebook page.
