A thug who clubbed a man who gave evidence against him in court has been placed on a curfew.
The city’s sheriff court heard that on May 13 on Kirk Street, Dundee, Zack de Shafta struck his victim on the mouth with a piece of wood, causing a loose tooth and an abrasion on the man’s lip.
De Shafta, 27, also admitted brandishing a pole and shouting and swearing during an argument in a close on Tweed Crescent a month later.
At the previous hearing, solicitor John McLaughlin said his client had been on remand and completed a 10 week construction course in jail, aiming to enrol in college.
He added: “He has also started studying Islam and wishes to convert.
“This is the first time he’s really got to a stage in his life that he can see something positive on the horizon.
“He was under the influence of drink and drugs on both occasions.”
De Shafta was placed on a two-month long restriction of liberty order, keeping him at home between 7pm and 7am.
Gucci Glen stalker
A star-crazed stalker set up a fake social media persona to harass two former Perth College classmates and threatened to have one of their dogs shot. Singer, podcaster and self-styled fashionista Valentino Murdoch, 28, tagged Lady Gaga in an abusive post and told one victim: “You look like a cancer patient.”
Supermarket menace
An intoxicated Kirkcaldy man who threatened an Asda worker’s family and months later tried to stamp on an employee’s glasses in an Iceland store, has been jailed for 202 days.
David Purvis, 41, appeared from custody at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court for sentencing after earlier pleading guilty to theft and two offences of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner.
On July 9 last year at Asda, Carberry Place, Kirkcaldy, Purvis repeatedly made threats of violence towards a male worker and his family and seized hold of him after a dispute over buying alcohol.
On October 15 last year at Iceland Foods in Minto Place, Glenrothes, Purvis stole food and alcohol and shouted, swore, acted in an aggressive manner and made threats of violence.
Challenged by staff, Purvis said he was “going to do them in” and made a stab threat, before a struggle, in which he knocked off a worker’s glasses and tried to stamp on them.
Purvis also breaching bail conditions on various occasions between October 17 and November 6 2023.
Crash postie keeps job
An Angus postman who caused a serious crash while pulling out from an unclassified road has clung onto his employment and driving licence. Experienced postie Jamie Hart admitted his role in a serious collision on the A94 near Eassie while working on April 17 last year.
Fire hoaxes
A serial hoaxer who reported a bogus blaze at a Perth chip shop has been ordered to pay £600 compensation to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
Kyle Wilkie, described in court as an “attention seeker,” called 999 at 11pm on April 6 last year and told operators there was fire at the Blue Lagoon in the city’s High Street.
On the same night, he directed emergency services to the Royal Bar on South Street.
He told call handlers he as the manager of the pub and described seeing a chip pan fire.
Wilkie, 24, pled guilty to knowingly raising false alarms to fire service staff.
He further admitted assaulting a female police officer, following his arrest, by repeatedly attempting to headbutt and kick her.
Wilkie returned to the dock at Perth Sheriff Court for sentencing, having previously been ordered to stay out of trouble for six months.
Sheriff Eric Brown ordered him to pay compensation to the fire service with cash he had been saving up since his last court appearance in July last year.
Killer driver stalker
A killer driver stamped on his former partner’s mobile phone before plaguing her with unwanted messages during a month-long stalking campaign. Halim Cholmeley, 50, from Angus, caused his victim fear and alarm by turning up at her home uninvited and storming in without her permission. Cholmeley was jailed for six years for the death of a Dundee taxi driver.
Knife versus scooter
A driver wielded a chef’s knife at a man who struck his car with a scooter.
Abdul Moueed, 20, pled guilty to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by making threats of violence to his victim and brandishing a knife at him at Cardenden Road, Cardenden, on June 15 2023.
Prosecutor Charlotte Allan told Dunfermline Sheriff Court Moueed and his victim had an angry exchange as the accused drove past the man’s home.
The fiscal depute said: “(The male) then picked up his son’s scooter and threw it towards the rear window of the accused’s vehicle, causing it to smash.
“(The couple) then saw him (Moueed) alight from the vehicle in possession of a large knife.
“This was brandished towards (the male) as the pair approached each other.
“They had a brief altercation before (the male) informed the accused there are CCTV cameras in the area.”
Moueed, of Station Road, Bowhill, Cardenden, left but a neighbour’s CCTV captured the incident, the court heard.
Defence lawyer Christine Hagan said a few days prior there had been a road traffic incident which Moueed reported to police.
She said Moueed’s father is responsible for ordering inventory for a local takeaway business they manage and the chef’s knife within the vehicle as a result.
He was given 108 hours of unpaid work.
Pills thief
A charge nurse has admitted stealing prescribed medicine from patients in a residential care home and using it herself. Margaret Brown, 66, took the tablets she was supposed to administer to vulnerable residents at Orchar Care Home, Broughty Ferry.
Stole tools and dog
Thousands of pounds worth of power tools were stolen during a raid on a Perthshire hotel.
Connor McGroary, 22, appeared at Perth Sheriff Court and admitted forcing open a safe at the Duchally Hotel, Auchterarder, in 2020.
The court heard how the hotel’s maintenance manager arrived at work on November 17 and found a padlock to a storage unit had been cut and security lights had been “ripped out”.
Fiscal depute Sarah Wilkinson said a circular saw and Bosch multitool – worth £2500 – were taken and never recovered.
McGroary further pled guilty to stealing more tools – a chainsaw, another circular saw and two nailguns – from Broadfold Farm, Auchterarder, on the same night.
McGroary, from Workington, Cumbria, appeared in the dock alongside John McPhee, 42, of Lorn Drive, Glencoe, and Reece McGroary, 20, from Bradford.
McPhee admitted stealing working dog Obi, from a rural property near Harburn, West Calder, on November 11 2020.
After an appeal on social media Obi, worth £5000 to £6000, was found about a week later at a vets in Carlisle.
Reece McGroary admitted stealing a quadbike from a farm near Fossoway on November 16 2020.
Sheriff Jennifer Bain KC deferred sentence for background reports until February 14.
Holiday plans dented
A family’s summer holiday plans were dented when a butcher fell asleep at the wheel and hit their car as they travelled to Edinburgh Airport. Kamil Rumak, 27, of Cardenden, admitted driving dangerously in Fife.
Mounted roundabout, hit tree
Brandon Donnelly, 22, mounted a roundabout in Glenrothes and struck a tree during an episode of dangerous driving on Leslie Road on January 1 2023.
Procurator fiscal depute Lauren Pennycook told Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court police saw his Vauxhall Corsa travelling at speed in the opposite direction and turned to follow it.
The fiscal depute continued: “Officers caught up with the vehicle and found it in the centre of a roundabout, having mounted the roundabout and collided with a tree there.”
Airbags were deployed and Donnelly and his brother were found at the vehicle.
Donnelly, of Provosts Land, Leslie, confirmed he was at the wheel and in court, pled guilty to driving dangerously.
Sheriff Timothy Niven-Smith banned him for 12 months and fined him £200.
Car confiscated
Connor Ballie, 22, of Albert Street, Arbroath, has had his car confiscated after admitting at Forfar Sheriff Court driving a the Ford Fiesta while disqualified and without insurance.
Fiscal depute Jill Drummond explained police pulled him over in McDonald’s car park in Forfar at 5.50pm on July 14 last year.
Solicitor Billy Rennie said: “It was a cheap vehicle he bought a month before.”
Sheriff Mungo Bovey granted forfeiture of the car, ordered Ballie to complete 140 hours of unpaid work and banned him from driving for a further two years.
Ket crash
A drug-driver high on horse tranquilizer Ketamine crashed his car on the remote A823, near Powmill, Kinross-shire on September 18 2022 road and has been banned for a year and fined £400.
George Dewar, 39, was found by police after the one-car crash, standing at the roadside in an agitated state with bloodshot eyes and “enlarged pupils”.
He was nearly seven times the legal drug-drive limit for Ketamine and also had cannabis in his system.
The plumber, of Back O Yards, Inverkeithing, appeared at Perth Sheriff Court and admitted drug-driving.
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