Two men have admitted a gruesome knife attack in Dundee.
Craig Stirling and Kyle Sandilands pled guilty midway through a jury trial at Forfar Sheriff Court.
Jurors were shown CCTV footage and heard evidence from the pair’s victim.
They pled guilty to severely injuring William Howie in the city’s Kirkton area on May 26, last year, by repeatedly striking him on the body with a knife or similar weapon.
The men admitted repeatedly striking Mr Howie on the body with a knife or similar instrument on May 26 last year.
Mr Howie, then aged 29, was rushed to Ninewells following the afternoon assault on Helmsdale Avenue, the court heard.
HMP Perth inmate Stirling, 46, and 25-year-old Kyle Sandilands, of Rannoch Road, Perth, admitted the assault left their victim “severely” injured.
Sheriff Paul Brown ordered reports and deferred sentencing until August 21.
He told the men: “I am particularly going to ask social work in this case to look at the risk profile here and for an assessment of post-custodial disposal options in terms of extended sentences and supervised release orders.
“You both require to co-operate fully with the preparation of the reports.
“I should say to you, you should fully prepare yourselves for a particular outcome.
“Given the serious nature of this offence, you should both prepare yourselves for that.”
The sheriff will also decide on the next occasion whether or not to grant a non-harassment order requested by the crown to protect the men’s victim.
Cat food delivery was packed with drugs
An Angus man who tried to smuggle almost £100,000 of ecstasy into Scotland hidden in cat food has been told that a jail sentence is “inevitable” by a high court judge.
Toby Bishop, who was known to customers as ‘Maverick the Speedy,’ was caught after a UK Border Force worker based at Coventry’s International Postal Hub was given a parcel to examine in July last year.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard how the officer found the parcel to be declared as cat food and it was sent from Germany. The sender had addressed it to 21-year-old Bishop’s home near Forfar.
Prosecutor David Dickson told judge Lord Braid that once the cat food was opened, the Border Force staff member found ecstasy which could have made £84,430 if sold for £10 on the streets.
Get out of Aldi
A drunken Angus lout threatened to stab police as officers tried arrest him when he refused to leave Aldi.
Russell Gray admitted acting in a threatening or abusive manner at the Basin View supermarket in Montrose on June 17.
He engaged in an argument with staff and refused to leave the store.
Furthermore, he admitted a second charge of acting in a manner likely to cause fear or alarm within a police vehicle en route to Dundee HQ.
During the journey, the 46-year-old, of Langley Avenue in Montrose, acted aggressively, made threats of violence towards police and threatened to stab them.
Solicitor Nick Markowski said his client has a “significant record.”
Mr Markowksi said: “The background here is he’d been drinking heavily.
“He’d taken non-prescribed Valium.
“He has absolutely no recollection.
“If he’d just left, that would have been the end of it.”
At Forfar Sheriff Court, Sheriff Krista Johnston deferred sentencing until August 3.
Wedding assault
A 30-year-old man grabbed a woman by the ears and head butted her in the face during a Fife wedding reception.
Jamie Thomson, of Craigievar Drive in Glenrothes, pled guilty to assaulting the woman at the Laurel Bank Hotel, Markinch, in August last year.
He admitted seizing her head and head butting her to her injury.
Procurator fiscal depute Lee-Anne Barclay told Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court that Thomson was involved in an altercation with other guests at the venue and afterwards the woman and others tried to talk to him.
The fiscal said: “He became agitated and without warning grabbed (the woman) by the ears and then head butted her to the face and then jumped a fence and made off”.
The fiscal said the victim suffered a cut to the lip as a result.
Defence lawyer Danielle Stringer said Thomson, a father of two, accepts his behaviour was unacceptable and is “extremely remorseful” for what happened.
Ms Stringer said her client has no similar previous convictions.
She said he is now working full time as a joiner.
The solicitor said: “He is regretful and apologetic to the complainer”.
Sheriff Mark O’Hanlon fined Thomson £540.
Satans Slaves biker in murder bid
A Fife member of an outlaw biker gang faces jail for attempting to murder another motorcyclist.
Former serviceman Barry Smith – a member of the Satans Slaves – drove his van into a bike driven by Andrew Lamb, a member of the Tribe Motorcycle Club.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard how the assault happened on July 24 2021 on the A7 in the Scottish Borders.
Smith, of Dunfermline, was acting as a support driver for a convoy of Satans Slaves as they drove their bikes through the area.
The 42-year-old was supposed to help motorcyclists who injured themselves or who broke down.
But the court heard how Smith used his van to carry out out an assault on Mr Lamb which left him needing urgent hospital treatment.
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