Pedestrians had to jump out the way after a “panicked” driver drove over a pavement on Dundee’s Hilltown.
Paul Malone drove dangerously after becoming involved in an incident at Babu’s takeaway at around 10.30pm on March 5.
The 32-year-old mounted the pavement and drove the wrong way to get past police, which prompted three pedestrians to take evasive action.
Dundee Sheriff Court heard Malone drove his Vauxhall Corsa in an “aggressive fashion” as he left the scene.
Malone was later found at his home on Annan Terrace and refused to provide breath specimens to detect whether alcohol was in his system.
Solicitor David Duncan said Malone “panicked” after police started looking for him in connection with the earlier incident.
He was ordered to perform 120 hours of unpaid work and disqualified from driving for 12 months.
Spray paint revenge
A vengeful boyfriend made a near-900 mile round trip from Wales to target his ex-partner’s Fife home with abusive graffiti, including in a street called Lovers Lane. David France spray-painted the words “wee slag” after flying and driving under cover of darkness to Cupar.
£9k shoplifter
A prolific shoplifter who stole more than £9,000 of goods – including from stores in Fife – has been ordered to carry out 60 hours of unpaid work.
Saban Mili, 23, of Glenrothes, targeted Morrisons or Sainsbury’s stores in Leven, Wishaw, Falkirk and Hamilton during a three-month period last year.
Previously at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court, with the aid of a Romanian translator, he pled guilty to five shoplifting charges.
They included, on August 3 at Sainsbury’s in Riverside Road, Leven, stealing alcohol and other goods worth £1,779.05.
The total value of stolen goods is £9,152.05.
Solicitor Martin McGuire said: “He came to Scotland in 2023. Ultimately he became embroiled in these offences having been introduced to another individual.
“Having found himself in difficulty, he engaged in offending during the course of 2024.”
Sheriff Steven Borthwick KC said: “Because you have no income, you’re not in any position to make any financial recompense for the loss.”
He said custody was considered due to the high value of the items.
Callous conman
A callous conman from Angus avoided a jail sentence for stealing almost £20,000 from his partner because it was his first offence. Stonemason Carey Gibb’s partner was being taken into a care home near Arbroath so he ended their 20-year relationship but helped himself to her bank card and stole more than £10,000 in cash and spent thousands more, including 22 payments to escort website Midsummer.
Camping cannabis calamity
A camper who set off on a road trip after smoking a joint has been banned from driving for three years.
Ross Carl was pulled over by police in Perthshire after they noticed a strong smell of cannabis coming from his Toyata HiAce.
The 34-year-old mechanic was candid with officers and admitted smoking the drug before leaving his home in Dundee about an hour earlier.
He appeared at Perth Sheriff Court and admitted motoring along Perth Road, Birnam, while nearly four times the drug limit (7.6 mics/2 mics).
It is his second conviction for drug-driving.
Prosecutor Elizabeth Hodgson said Carl, of Ballater Place, was stopped just after midnight on September 7 last year.
Although there were no issues with his driving, police noticed a strong whiff of cannabis while travelling behind his vehicle.
Solicitor Alan Davie, defending, said his client had been heading to the Dunkeld area for camping.
“He accepts he smoked a joint before going on his journey. He made a mistake and he should have known better.”
The court heard Carl no longer takes the class B drug and is regularly tested at his workplace.
Sheriff Clair McLachlan told Carl: “You really should have known better. This was a high reading and it is your second conviction in four years.”
As well as a three-year ban, Carl was fined £670.
Tea blagger
Bomb disposal, surviving deadly snake bites and inventing Bag for Life – In the second part in our series on tea-blag conman Thomas Robinson, we look at some of the wild claims made during his trial for his too-good-to-be-brew Scottish tea firm fraud.
Sick pics
A 24-year-old who sent pictures and videos of his penis to someone he thought was a child has been given 40 hours of unpaid work and put on the sex offenders register for a year.
Alexander Hannah appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court for sentencing after earlier pleading guilty to attempting to cause a child to view a sexual image and attempting to communicate indecently with a child.
Court papers say the offending took place at an address in Nicol Street, Kirkcaldy, and at an Italian restaurant in the town and elsewhere, between March 6 and 11 last year.
Hannah, of West Pilton Brae, Edinburgh, believed he was speaking to a girl between the ages of 13 and 16 but this was in fact an adult pretending to be a child.
He sent images and videos of his penis to the decoy and engaged in sexual conversations with them.
As well as the unpaid work, Sheriff Steven Borthwick put Hannah on offender supervision for a year and made a strict conduct requirement, which includes a condition he must get supervisor approval before communicating with any child under 16.
Defence lawyer Alexandra Philp said Hannah had benefitted from being open with social workers and is keen to do unpaid work, pointing out it might be a stepping stone to future employment.
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