A habitual thief who said “that’s how it’s done” after stealing more than £200 worth of booze from an Angus supermarket has been jailed.
Michael Martin later pushed a shop worker and attacked a police officer with a faulty getaway bicycle after a month-long crime spree.
The 39-year-old was brought from prison back to Dundee Sheriff Court to be sentenced for eight separate crimes committed at stores in Arbroath and Montrose.
Martin was jailed for 21 months, backdated to September 11 last year, by Sheriff George Way.
Wrong-way bridge smash
An uninsured motorist who drove the wrong way over the Tay Road Bridge caused a head-on smash that left two people injured. Robbie Reilley was heard saying “I’m away to drive off” after the collision on the Fife roundabout at the southern end of the bridge on September 18 2023.
Pervert had photos of year-old children
Thousands of child abuse files and videos were discovered on a Fife man’s devices after a police raid on the home he shared with his wife.
Material stored on Samuel Atkins‘ laptop and hard drive featured children as young as one being abused and tied up by adults.
The 53-year-old pled guilty to downloading and possessing indecent images of children between September 2020 and August 2024.
Dundee Sheriff Court heard how officers searched Atkins’ home in Leuchars with 1,705 child sexual exploitation and abuse material discovered on a laptop.
Police found 162 images and eight videos at the highest level of depravity with the majority of the files being at the lower, Category C level.
The videos had a total run time of more than three hours.
An examination of a hard drive found 422 child abuse files, with the majority also Category C images. 56 Category A images were found including four videos.
Those videos and two others at Category B level had a total run time of just over an hour.
Sentence was deferred until next month for a social work report to be prepared.
His bail was continued by Sheriff Tim Niven-Smith who placed him on the sex offenders register meantime.
370-mile move predator
A predator moved more than 370 miles to Angus from his home in Wales in order to sexually abuse a child. James Gillies is now locked up after he admitted grooming the young girl via Instagram before starting a relationship with her.
‘Out of order’ at McDonald’s
A failed robber who tried to snatch a 63-year-old woman’s handbag at a Dundee McDonald’s is behind bars.
James Gallacher was brought from HMP Perth to Dundee Sheriff Court to be sentenced, having previously admitted attempting to rob the woman on 22 February this year.
The 44-year-old was in the doorway of the Reform Street fast foot outlet when he seized and pulled at the woman’s bag.
When he was arrested two days later in Arbroath, he acted in a threatening or abusive manner by shouting, swearing and threatening police who took him to West Bell Street HQ with violence.
His solicitor Larry Flynn said: “His behaviour was completely out of order.”
Sheriff George Way jailed Gallacher for 30 months, backdated to February 25.
Gallacher will be subject to a supervised release order for a year following his release.
The sheriff said: “It was a particularly shabby attempted robbery which I am sure you are thoroughly ashamed of.”
In 2020, Gallacher was jailed for two years when he robbed a woman on crutches of £40 at a city ATM.
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