Our reporters have been sitting in courtrooms across the north and north-east this week and covered a wide variety of cases.
Woman struck husband with laptop and chased him with kitchen knife
A violent wife flew into a rage and struck her husband with a laptop, a court has heard.
Sonya Brock, 50, appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court where she admitted a series of assaults against her husband and a police officer.
It was stated that during one of her violent rages, Brock picked up a large kitchen knife and chased her husband from the family home.
Raider tagged after he caused nearly £10,000 damage to Aberdeen Grammar and post office
A north-east burglar who broke into a school and a post office where he caused nearly £10,000 worth of damage has been electronically tagged.
Liam Garden, 21, appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court where he admitted smashing windows before climbing through and helping himself to expensive items.
It was stated that Garden stole laptops and a projector from Aberdeen Grammar before ransacking into a post office in Berryden and making off with £150 worth of vape cigarettes.
Thug left partner with chunk of ear missing
A drug-addled yob who dodged jail despite a fiery exchange with a sheriff left court, went straight to his partner’s home and carried out a sickening assault on her.
Lewis Gibbs’ partner had a chunk of her ear missing, as well as a broken arm and facial fractures, as a result of the terrifying attack, which came just hours after the previous court appearance.
At one point, he choked her and only stopped when her dog intervened and tried to attack him.
Woman seriously injured man in A92 crash while under influence of alcohol
A woman has admitted seriously injuring a man in a crash on the A92 while under the influence of alcohol.
Lyalle Suarez pled guilty to a charge of causing serious injury by dangerous driving when she appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.
The 34-year-old lost control of a Honda CR-V on the A92 between Gourdon and Benholm in the early hours of June 4 last year.
Aspiring pilot caught behind wheel while five times the drink-drive limit
An aspiring pilot has been caught driving a car while more than five times the legal drink-drive limit.
Juanita Smith, who had hoped to gain a licence to fly at the end of 2025, was spotted driving in a “particularly careful and cautious” fashion by police in Inverness.
When officers stopped her on the city’s Glebe Street she failed a roadside breath test.
Violent cocaine-fuelled boyfriend choked young woman
A violent and unpredictable boyfriend who brutally abused his girlfriend and even had her car clamped has been jailed.
Mohammed Iqbal, 34, appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court where he admitted carrying out a series of terrifying physical and verbal assaults on his former partner for more than a year.
Iqbal – who was described by his solicitor as the “black sheep of his family” – could not accept the end of their relationship and embarked on a campaign of violence, intimidation and threats.
Victim’s tears of relief as vicious domestic abuser jailed
The ex-partner of a brutal domestic abuser who kicked her down a flight of stairs while she was pregnant has said she can now “look forward to not being scared” as he was jailed for more than two years.
Tyre fitter Lee Henderson, 28, carried out a catalogue of abuse against the woman that included frequent acts of violence and on one occasion threatened to drown her.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard how Henderson assaulted, demeaned and verbally abused the woman over a six-month period.
Henderson also admitted two assaults upon children.
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Man who grew £46,000 of cannabis for medical reasons admits it was ‘somewhat excessive’
A man who grew up to £46,000 of cannabis in a farm outbuilding has avoided jail after a sheriff noted there was no evidence that his growing “experiment” was a professional one.
Instead, Craig McKinnon was fined £10,000 for growing 48 cannabis plants using heat lamps and an irrigation system.
The court heard that McKinnon was growing the drugs to help him with a health condition and simply failed to grasp how much cannabis his plants would yield.
Removal van driver who caused horror head-on crash ‘can’t recall’ anything about it
A driver who caused a head-on collision where another motorist was rushed to hospital can’t recall anything about the incident.
Paul Afriyie, 47, appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court where he admitted driving in a dangerous manner and causing a serious accident as he drove near Dinnet in Aberdeenshire last year.
The court heard how other road users had reported Afriyie’s erratic driving to police only moments before he ploughed into a couple in a van.
Drunk tracked down ex in Aberdeen, climbed in window and attacked her with hockey stick
A drunken man tracked down his ex-partner in Aberdeen, climbed in her window and assaulted her with a hockey stick.
James Mahon’s former partner had moved to Aberdeen to get away from him, but got a fright one evening when he suddenly appeared outside her window.
The 37-year-old banged on various windows before managing to clamber through one to get inside.
Three people in court after Inverness knife incident
Three people have appeared in court following a knife incident in Inverness.
Officers were called to the Kessock Court area of the city around 7pm on Monday after a report of “people acting suspiciously.”
Police Scotland said a man and a woman were arrested on a weapons charge and a second man was held in connection with a road traffic offence.
All three people have now appeared in private at Inverness Sheriff Court.
Jail for digger driver who choked partner then hid in cupboard
A man who choked and hit his partner and then hid in a cupboard when police were called has been jailed.
Alistair Reid, 56, was subject to bail conditions not to contact the woman when he turned up at her Elgin home in December of 2022.
He also broke his bail conditions in the aftermath of his guilty plea – meaning he appeared via videolink from custody for sentencing at Inverness Sheriff Court having previously admitted two counts of assault as well as breaching his bail.
Owner of collapsed wedding firm admits domestic abuse charges
The owner of a failed wedding company has admitted a string of controlling domestic abuse spanning THREE relationships.
Craig Drummond was slammed by a sheriff for taking “little, if any, responsibility”, for his vile actions, which included constantly demanding to know where his partners were and who they were with.
The 35-year-old’s pattern of abusive and controlling behaviour spanned several relationships and many years, Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told.
Man ordered to pay compensation after vicious caravan park assault on friend
A man who battered his friend black and blue during a vicious late-night attack at a Deeside caravan park has avoided a prison sentence.
Peter Gribble, 43, appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court where he admitted a charge of assaulting his pal of more than 20 years at Ballater Caravan Site.
The court was told when police arrived on the scene, both men were drunk and denied that there had been an altercation – but they had been spotted fighting by another witness.
Officers also found the victim’s blood in the doorway of Gribble’s caravan.
Fraserburgh man handed extended driving ban after drunken trip to buy cigarettes
A Fraserburgh man has been banned for three years after being caught driving almost five times the limit on his way to buy cigarettes.
Graeme Donald, 33, was pulled over just before 2.30am on the morning of December 29 last year after his car was seen swerving around.
Donald was stopped in his black Vauxhall Zafira on Fraserburgh’s Gallowhill Road by police on a mobile patrol.
Men jailed after banned handguns found in Aberdeenshire village
Two men were today jailed for five years after they fired off handguns in an Aberdeenshire village.
Officers turned up at Richard Robinson’s home in Crimond on a Sunday evening after gunshots were heard at the address.
Robinson, 39, and Callum Williamson were in the Logie Road cottage and a gift bag was seen lying on the living room floor.
In it was bullets and an antique Colt derringer.
‘Cuckooing’ drug dealer who tried to flush drugs down toilet is set free
A drug dealer who was caught trying to flush nearly £1,000 worth of drugs down the toilet when police raided a house has walked free from court.
Tommy Rabbeth was arrested at a house in the Tillydrone area of Aberdeen where police discovered he was cuckooing at the property of a vulnerable woman.
The 23-year-old was found to be selling both heroin and cocaine from the property.
Man who tried to torch Fraserburgh home with ex-partner inside was ‘ill with love’, court told
A man who claimed he was “ill with love” for his former partner endangered her life by starting a blaze at her home, a court has heard.
Michal Morawski, 32, told the woman that there was “no chance” she’d be able to leave her property in Fraserburgh, as he was going to set fire to it.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard on Thursday how Morawski put the ex-partner’s life in danger in the early hours of April 27 2023.
Get the latest crime and court stories delivered straight to your inbox
Every day our reporters are sitting in courtrooms around the area and now you can get their stories sent directly to you, five days a week.
Aberdeen man dodges jail despite ‘facilitator’ role in $10,000 robbery bid
A man dodged a prison sentence for his role in a bid to steal $10,000 from a father and son on Christmas Eve in Aberdeen.
John Townsley watched as the family exchanged a large sum of money into dollars at Ramsdens on Union Street before following them out of the business and alerting an accomplice.
The 39-year-old then met his accomplice and directed him towards the man and his son.
Offshore worker left victim scarred after assault outside Aberdeen pub
An Aberdeen man left a fellow pub-goer scarred after a booze-fuelled assault at a bus stop outside his local.
Barry Riley and his victim had both been drinking at the Three Lums pub in Sheddocksley before getting into an altercation outside.
Riley, 29, pushed the man to the ground, causing his glasses to break and leave nasty cuts around his eye.
Man who installed CCTV to record girlfriend also captured his own abusive actions
A man who thought his partner was cheating on him installed CCTV outside her home to monitor her movements.
Simon Burton, 45, appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court where he admitted spying on his partner for over six months using a camera linked to his mobile phone.
On one occasion, Burton accused the woman of having turned the camera off and then violently attacked her while threatening to “slit her throat”.
American tourist’s first taste of whisky lands him in court on assault charge
An American tourist’s first taste of Scotch whisky is likely to be his last after he attacked his girlfriend in Inverness city centre.
Sheriff Gary Aitken was told that 29-year-old Casey Cameron, of Long Beach, New York, had been socialising all evening on Wednesday this week with other family members.
Fiscal depute Robert Weir said that the holidaymakers had a disagreement apparently over a suggestion Cameron’s girlfriend had been flirting with someone during the evening.
Second pint of ale proves to be drink-driver’s undoing
A man was caught drink-driving home with his takeaway after a friend persuaded him to have a second pint of ale.
Denis Garden had decided to pop to his local inn for a takeaway as he didn’t want to cook but stopped for a drink while there.
When a friend bought the 69-year-old a second pint, he stayed to polish that off too, during which time another pubgoer alerted the police to his intention to drive home.
Dufftown man’s dogs suffered horrific injuries during badger baiting incidents
A Dufftown man has been handed a 10-year ban from keeping animals after his dogs were horrifically injured during face-to-face combat with wild animals.
Sean Garland, 39, appeared at Elgin Sheriff Court to be sentenced after admitting three charges under the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2006.
The court heard how damning text messages from Garland revealed how one of his animal died after having its throat ripped out during a badger baiting incident.
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