Tuesday court round-up — Lamb attack and hare coursing

By Crime and Courts Team

July 13 2021, 7:30pm

A trip through rural Fife in the Tuesday court round-up.

Dog attack

A 78-year-old woman’s dog killed a lamb in rural Fife.

Elizabeth Mills’ German Shorthaired Pointer Ruari attacked and killed the animal after the dog went missing near Saline on November 11.

Mills, of Upper Kinneddar in Saline, admitted she was the dog’s owner when it worried livestock on agricultural land nearby at Langfauld Steading.

Dunfermline Sheriff Court heard Mills had chapped on the farmer’s door at around 8am to report her dog was missing nearby.

When the dog was ultimately traced around two hours later, it was found it had left a trail of destruction in its wake.

A German shorthaired pointer. Shutterstock.

Mills’ dog frightened sheep and cattle by running freely in their field and barking aggressively at them.

The dog’s actions caused the startled animals to force down a fence in an attempt to escape.

The farmer found the dog had bitten one of his lambs, inflicting fatal injuries.

Police found in their examinations of the creature its injuries were “consistent with a dog attack.”

Mills had told the farmer she would pay for the damage caused to his fence and any calves which had been hurt.

Sheriff Alastair Brown deferred sentencing until July 29 to determine the value of the farmer’s losses.

Hare coursing charges

A Dunfermline man has denied committing a string of rural wildlife crimes.

Lee Birkett, of Aberdour Crescent, pled not guilty to the allegations at Dunfermline Sheriff Court.

He denies that on various occasions between October 1 and February 25 and on March 1, he attempted to kill, injure or take brown hare and rabbit at Logie House Estate, Main Street, Crossford.

The 39-year-old is accused of the same crime at Broomhall Estate, Charlestown on November 30.

He denies that on March 1, for the purposes of attempting to kill, injure or take the animals, he had a lurcher-type dog and a ferret.

He is scheduled to appear at Dunfermline Sheriff Court for trial on December 22.

Sneak thief

Thief Marcin Madraszek has been jailed after sneaking into a woman’s bedroom and stealing her jewellery. He was caught when he approached police to ask for a taxi number and they spotted a woman’s purse hanging out his pocket.

Safe theft charge

A new trial has been fixed for a man accused of stealing a safe containing £16,000 from his father’s flat.

Darren Winters, 38, allegedly committed the theft from an address on Brothock Way, Arbroath, on October 25 2019.

Winters, of the town’s McGregors Walk, also faced a separate charge of failing to appear at Dundee Sheriff Court on May 27.

He was not present when the case called for a first diet.

Solicitor Keith Sym said Winters continued to deny the allegations.

A trial was fixed for February by Sheriff Ian Anderson.

‘Chopper’

A man who answered the front door to a female delivery driver in Fife, while semi-naked, could be placed on the Sex Offenders Register. Lee Halpin left his victim shocked by then saying: “Awww come on, I’ve got my chopper out. Get in here.” He will be sentenced later this month.