Wednesday court round-up — Jealous attacker and amber danger

An attempted murder accused from Fife has been freed on bail.

Nathan Johnston appeared in court in private accused of attempted murder.

The 25-year-old, of Methil is alleged to have carried out a serious assault and had possession of a bladed weapon.

At Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court, Johnston was fully committed for trial and released on bail.

Hammer attack

A group of thugs left a man with a broken jaw after he was beaten with a hammer and stamped on, before being robbed of a van. The victim could barely open his mouth for weeks as a result of the violent, early morning attack in the Kirkton area of Dundee. Scott Ney, 32, was identified through CCTV as one of the men responsible.

Jealous attack

A woman has been convicted for carrying out a violent early morning street assault in Forfar while telling her victim: “You think you can f***ing sleep with my man?”

Jealous Ruth Smith was found guilty of injuring her victim in the assault, which took place at around 9.30am on May 24 this year.

Smith, 36, denied attacking her 48-year-old victim as she walked past The Stag on Brechin Road.

She told a trial at Forfar Sheriff Court: “She just got right up beside me and said: ‘I’ve been waiting to see you.’

“I got a bit of a shock – I don’t know her.

“She just started punching me.

“She grabbed my hair and pulled me down and punched me on the head and face, repeatedly.

“She said: ‘You think you can f***ing sleep with my man?’

“She said it a few times.”

The woman was left with two black eyes, a suspected fractured nose and bruising on her legs and back.

Sheriff Derek Reekie, who was shown photographs of the injuries and CCTV footage of the attack, found Smith, of Graham Crescent in Forfar, guilty.

The sheriff deferred sentencing until December 5 for reports.

Prison risk

Police found more than 30 hours of videos of child abuse on hard drives after raiding a man’s home in Dundee. Lushuai Maxwell was warned he is at risk of being jailed after he was caught with almost 150 videos of children being abused.

Supplying partner with drugs

A Fife addict caught with 21g of heroin and more than £600 has been tagged for eight months.

John Park appeared at Dunfermline Sheriff Court to plead guilty to being concerned in supply at his home in Ballingry Road, Lochore, on August 4 last year.

The 39-year-old also previously admitted assaulting a man by punching his head to his injury at another address on the same road on October 7 last year.

Prosecutor Catherine Stevenson said police raided Park’s home around 8am and officers searched him and found the drug – with a street value of £720 to £1020 – in his pocket.

Police also seized £612 in cash, scales and a grinder.

Defence lawyer Alan Davie said Park has a longstanding heroin addiction and had purchased around an ounce of heroin for about £400.

He would use up to 3 grammes a day but was also supplying it to his then-girlfriend.

One reason for the bulk purchase was Park was not receiving methadone at the time, the lawyer said, but he is now on a prescription and stable.

Mr Davie said the assault was on a man his client believed had broken into his property while he was in custody.

Sheriff Susan Duff noted six previous convictions for assault on Park’s record and breaches of six community payback orders and a probation order but was persuaded not to jail him and gave him a 35-week curfew, running daily between 9pm and 9am.

Hat shop heist

Serial offender Del Banks has been jailed again after admitting raiding a historic Perth hat shop, dealing drugs, assaulting a betting shop worker and robbing a man in a close. The 36-year-old HMP Grampian inmate was brought to Forfar Sheriff Court where he admitted crimes committed throughout 2023.

Fled while drunk

A woman caught driving an a Brechin supermarket car park while more than three times over the drink-drive limit has been banned from the road.

56-year-old Svetlana Zyza, of Angus, admitted driving with excess alcohol (72mics/ 22) at Lidl on May 7 this year.

The Russian national, who was driving using a Cypriot license, was reported to police at 7.30pm and caught reversing out of a parking space at the supermarket 25 minutes later, smelling of alcohol.

The first offender’s solicitor said his client was fleeing an abusive marriage.

He said: “His behaviour got so bad she felt she had to leave.

“She drove past other points where she could have asked for help.”

At Forfar Sheriff Court, Sheriff George Way imposed a 12-month driving ban and fined Zyza £450.

Hit girl at traffic lights

A Fife motorist drove through a red light and knocked down a 14-year-old schoolgirl at a pedestrian crossing.

Carolanne Nicol, 40, was driving her brother’s van when it struck the girl on Admiralty Road, Rosyth, on October 26 last year.

At Dunfermline Sheriff Court, she pled guilty to careless driving.

Prosecutor Azrah Yousaf told the court the child had reached near to the centre of the crossing after the green man lit when she was knocked over.

The bruised girl called her mother and Nicol took her into the van until she arrived.

Defence lawyer Lucy Martin said her client saw the traffic lights at amber, changing to red and did brake but thought she had more time.

“She does accept hitting the complainer with the van and tells me she clipped the complainer at the side of the van as the complainer was walking out onto the road.

“If she could take it all back, she would. Still to this day she is shaken up and devastated about the whole thing”.

Ms Martin said the girl’s mother declined when Nicol offered to provide her details, telling her “everything was ok and gave her a hug and told her to go home”.

The solicitor said Nicol needs a licence to attend GP and hospital appointments and suffers from anxiety about using public transport in case she meets a particular person.

Sheriff Susan Duff told Nicol she considered the driving to be at the upper end of the careless driving category, banned her for 10 months and fined her £340.

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