A Dundee woman has admitted a campaign of domestic abuse, including hurting her partner by striking her on the head with a vacuum cleaner.
Courtney Grant, 20, stood trial at Forfar Sheriff Court accused of breaching the Domestic Abuse Scotland Act 2018 over a period of almost three years.
However, after her former partner gave evidence to jurors, Grant, of Balmedie Drive, pled guilty to an amended charge of engaging in an abusive course of conduct between April 2021 and January 2024.
This included acting in an aggressive and controlling manner and throwing household items at the woman while she slept and striking her on the head with a vacuum cleaner, leaving her injured.
Grant also engaged in a struggle with the woman while near the window on the 11th floor of Bonnethill Court in Dundee, seizing her by the clothing and smashing her mobile phone.
Grant repeatedly shouted and swore at her victim and after they had split up, went to her ex’s new girlfriend’s home on February 5 last year, threw stones at the living room window, shouted and demanded her victim leave.
On Hogmanay last year, she returned and engaged in a struggle there.
On a separate occasion the next day, she repeatedly threatened to harm her ex-partner and two others.
Sentencing was deferred until October 1 for reports and bail was continued.
Back behind bars
A convicted paedophile teacher is back behind bars after admitting luring a pupil to a Perthshire beauty spot to abuse him more than 30 years ago. Predator David Gutteridge was arrested in England and brought to the dock to admit the historical indecent assault.
Padlock in a sock
Perth prisoner Charles Conroy, attacked in his cell on his birthday by fellow inmate James Brown, struck back with a padlock in a sock.
The city’s sheriff court heard guards were alerted to the pair fighting at about 5pm on March 23 last year.
Prosecutor Duncan McKenzie said: “Staff went to break up the fight.
“However, as the fight was going on, they observed Mr Conroy producing a sock from his pocket.
“He used it to strike Mr Brown on the head.”
The victim was left with a bleeding, swollen wound to the back of his head.
Conroy suffered a black eye.
Solicitor Bethany Downham, defending, said: “Mr Conroy said that the complainer had been bullying him.
“He had gone to his cell and assaulted him. Mr Conroy accepts that he acted inappropriately.”
Speaking from the dock, before Sheriff Clair Mclachlan jailed him for eight months, he told her: “I was just defending myself.”
‘Bad crush’
A Fife cleaner with a “bad crush” on a doctor left an envelope containing a love letter and £1000 on his car windscreen during a five-year period in which she stalked him. Mary Jane Blyth bombarded her victim with unwanted text messages and voicemails, including one claiming she had spiritual readings telling her they loved each other.
Sledgehammer accusation
A 43-year-old man accused of carrying out a stabbing and sledgehammer attack has been released on bail.
Ian Ross McDonald was initially remanded in custody over allegations that he attacked a man and a woman at an address on Ballindean Road on August 25.
However, he has now been bailed after making a second appearance on petition at Dundee Sheriff Court.
Prosecutors allege McDonald, also of Ballindean Road, allegedly kicked a door repeatedly which struck a woman on the head, causing her to fall backwards and strike her head.
A man was allegedly struck on the head and body with a sledgehammer “or similar instrument” by McDonald.
He is also accused of stabbing the man on the body “by means to the prosecutor unknown”, causing severe injury.
McDonald continued to make no plea when he appeared via video link from HMP Perth for a full committal hearing before Sheriff Gregor Murray.
The sheriff released McDonald on bail with conditions not to contact the two people as well as being made subject to a 7pm until 7am curfew.
Whining trafficker
A human trafficker was caught on camera mocking exploited workers at his filth-ridden Perthshire puppy farm, saying their complaints “boiled his blood”. Daanyaal Chowdhury was prosecuted for animal neglect over conditions at his dog security firm at Glenalmond, near Perth and recently admitted human trafficking charges relating to his workers..
CCTV enquiry abuse
A man has been fined after he behaved abusively towards police who were enquiring about CCTV footage that could be key to an attempted murder investigation.
William Jeffrey pled guilty to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner towards officers on Strathmartine Road on July 19 this year.
Jeffrey was previously made subject to bail conditions at Dundee Sheriff Court not to amend or delete CCTV footage relating to July 8 to 9 from 10pm until 2am.
Both men face identical allegations of pursuing Mr Cooper with knives before driving over him with a car on July 9.
At Dundee Sheriff Court, Jeffrey, of Kibble Close in Kirkcaldy, was fined £200 by Sheriff Gregor Murray.
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