A thief who struck a man in the head with a bottle of vodka took only one of his victim’s trainers and left behind his mobile phone.
Keiran McAlpine, 28, left his victim with cut eyebrow and eyelid in Caithness Place on August 18 last year and appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court by video link to prison to plead guilty to assault and robbery.
Sheriff Steven Borthwick noted McAlpine is currently serving a 40-month sentence for wilful fire-raising following conviction in October last year and has previous for a life-endangering assault, for which he was given four years in detention.
The sheriff jailed McAlpine for 23 months, to run consecutively to his existing term.
Prosecutor Sarah Smith told the court witnesses saw McAlpine strike his victim’s head with the vodka bottle while he was on the ground, then rummaged through his pockets.
He kicked him again before walking away with one trainer, leaving a mobile phone and the other shoe.
McAlpine was said to be “intoxicated and aggressive” and witnesses told him to leave the area, which he did, before going to his victim’s aid.
Defence lawyer Paul Cook said McAlpine has an “extremely limited” recollection of events and was “suffering immensely” with drug and alcohol addiction.
DJ jailed
A Kirkcaldy DJ has been jailed for a decade for the repeated rape a young girl. Thomas Hatton, 33, will also be supervised for three years after his release.
Sold to friends
A Perth man caught with more than £2,500 worth of cannabis will be sentenced in October.
Former groundworker David Owen previously admitted being concerned in the supply of the Class B drug at his Goodlyburn Terrace home on September 1 last year.
The 36-year-old’s home was raided by police and fiscal depute Andrew Harding explained to Perth Sheriff Court officers seized 266.88g of green herbal matter from bedrooms.
Also seized were scales, bags, a tick list and a bong.
The haul would be worth between £1,745 and £2,640 depending on the size of deals.
Owen’s solicitor Jim Caird said: “He’s on a community payback order at present and he is very much benefiting from that.
“His mental health certainly was not good at the time. He had been smoking cannabis heavily.
“He’s come to realise that that was having a considerable effect on his mental health as well.
“He had a habit and was selling some to finance his own habit.
“It was quite a small margin he was making. He was selling it to friends, essentially.”
Sheriff Clair McLachlan deferred sentencing until October for Owen to be of good behaviour and to check on the progress of his ongoing community payback order.
Insta dealer
A 20-year-old who pedalled drugs on Instagram and sold to schoolchildren behind a Fife doctor surgery has been given unpaid work as punishment. During one of Reiss Leighton‘s deals in Dunfermline, a girl started vomiting and “felt as though she could not move” after taking a pill.
Drug-drive crash
A 53-year-old woman crashed her car when she was on drugs.
Christine Campbell, of Sir James Black Road, Cowdenbeath, appeared for sentencing at Dunfermline Sheriff Court.
The mum-of-six admitted that on November 1 2023 at Cardenden Road, Cardenden, she drove a car with excess amphetamine (329mics/ 250).
Depute fiscal Catherine Stevenson said at 5.30am a local resident was woken by a loud bang and when he looked out of his window he saw his car had been moved.
It had been struck by another car and shunted up the street by the impact.
Campbell was in the driver’s seat of her Nissan car “in a daze with her head down,” added the depute.
The emergency services were called and Campbell was initially taken to the Victoria Hospital.
Defence solicitor Stephen Morrison: “At that time, she was having significant difficulties and things had spiralled out of control.
“She no longer drives. Her eyesight has deteriorated and she no longer wishes to drive.”
Sheriff Susan Duff banned Campbell from driving for three years and fined her £210.
Football injury accusation
David Gowans, 31, appeared from custody accused of striking Aberdeen footballer Jack MacKenzie with a seat after a match with Dundee United at the weekend. The player was allegedly left severely injured and permanently disfigured after a piece of a plastic seat was thrown from the away section at Tannadice Park. Gowans made no plea.
Mirror smash
A Perthshire domestic offender has received two years supervision after furiously breaking a mirror in his partner’s home.
Duncan McPhee, 38, appeared at Perth Sheriff Court to be sentenced having admitted acting in a threatening or abusive manner on May 26 last year.
McPhee, of Clayton Road in Bridge of Earn, repeatedly shouted, swore, acted aggressively, made abusive remarks and violent threats at his partner’s Kinross home and kicked a mirror, breaking it.
Prosecutor Andrew Harding said McPhee woke up still drunk from the night before and accused the woman of using his money.
He kicked the mirror and told her: “You’re lucky I’m not putting it over your f***ing head.”
When police arrived, they found McPhee “irate and agitated.”
Sheriff Clair McLachlan placed McPhee under supervision and ordered him to complete the Caledonian Men’s Programme aimed at rehabilitating domestic offenders.
She said: “Community payback orders don’t seem to have worked in the past. He seems to have breached the last three orders he was on.
“We’ve been down this road before and it hasn’t worked. This is very much an alternative to a custodial sentence.
“If you don’t comply, that’s really what we’re looking at.”
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