Friday court round-up — Cannabis punch-up and racist rant

By Crime and Courts Team

June 25 2021, 7:00pm

Ease into the weekend with a bumper Friday court round-up.

Police joint attack

A St Andrew’s man broke a police officer’s glasses after punching him as he tried to arrest his girlfriend.

Corrie Inglis kicked off after seeing Melanie Saunders struggling with officers.

The 27-year-old hit PC Struan Robertson in the face, causing his glasses to fall to the ground and break.

He also tried to bite PC Brian Cuss in the leg.

Saunders, 21, was arrested after being spotted smoking a cannabis joint and refusing to stop.

Inglis, of Abbey Court, St Andrews, admitted assaulting PCs Struan Robertson and Brian Cuss at an address in Woodside, Cowdenbeath on July 24.

Saunders, who lives at the same address, admitted behaving in a threatening and abusive manner by swinging her arms and struggling with police officers.

Inglis, who is currently serving a 13-month sentence for similar offences was jailed for a further six months.

Sentence on Saunders was deferred for reports.

Crash sentence reduced

Scott Fairweather, who left an Angus mum with life-threatening injuries in a horrific joyride crash, has had his prison sentence reduced. Read why, here.

Lucky to be alive

A football fan was told he was lucky not to have killed himself after crashing on the M90 in Fife while drunk.

Ian Paton of Harburn road, West Calder, was almost three times the drink-drive limit when he slammed his Corsa into the central reservation.

Dunfermline Sheriff court heard that the crash happened at around 10pm on May 23.

He was later found to have 65 mics of alcohol in his system, three times the legal limit of 22.

Paton’s solicitor said he was not a habitual drinker but had been attending a “football event” prior to the crash and did not realise he was above the limit.

Paton also admitted failing to give police his identity.

Sheriff Alastair Brown told him that he was lucky not to have been killed, or to have gone through the barrier and killed another driver.

He deferred sentence for reports and banned Paton from driving in the interim.

Fatal crash

Dean Small, who caused the death of his friend when he crashed at the end of a police chase across Dundee, was jailed for six years. Read the full details here.

Dean Small was jailed for causing the death of a friend in a car crash in Dundee

Racist rant

Reports have been ordered for a man who punched a police officer in the face following a racial incident at a petrol station.

Stephen Hardstaff also threatened to kill Sushil Saini at the Morrisons filling station on Largo Road, St Andrews, on October 4.

Hardstaff, of the town’s Bobby Jones Place, shouted: “F*** off back to your own country you p*** b******.”

Hardstaff then punched PC Alan Tait on the face before kicking him on the body.

The 49-year-old pled guilty to the offences when he appeared at Dundee Sheriff Court.

Sentence was deferred until August.

‘Breadcrumb trail’

Serial thief Simon O’Neill left a “breadcrumb trail” of blood for police after a botched housebreaking. Read about the Perth Sheriff Court case here.

Drink driver

Drunk Rachel Rippin crashed into a parked car and repeatedly drove onto the pavement.

The 20-year-old pled guilty to driving a Vauxhall Corsa dangerously on roads in Fife while intoxicated on June 6 last year, colliding with a parked Mazda MX-5.

She repeatedly changed speeds, indicated, struck a kerb, drove onto the opposing carriageway and onto the pavement.

The offences were committed on George Street, Cellardyke, the A917 Anstruther to Pittenweem, Riverside Road in Leven, the town’s Durievale roundabout and elsewhere.

Sheriff Ian Anderson deferred sentence for Rippin, of Glenmore Court, Glenrothes, to appear personally.

Puppy farming charges

Fresh trial dates have been set for Daanyall Chowdhury, who is accused of failing to get proper treatment for dogs and cats at South Cairnies Farm Cottage, near Glenalmond and causing them psychological distress and unnecessary suffering. Read about it here.