A drunken teenager who threatened to kill his mother has been sentenced to a community payback order (CPO) with 100 hours of unpaid work.
Jonathan Barnes, 18, of Beech Avenue, Galashiels, admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner at a house at Primrose Bank, Galashiels , on October 20.
Graham Fraser, prosecuting, told how Barnes arrived at his mother’s home around 1.30am and asked if he could stay overnight, adding: “He was drunk and agitated, and his mother went to her bedroom, where she could hear him shouting in the living room.”
Mr Fraser said the woman tried to ignore her son, but heard him shout: “I’m going to stab you and I’m going to kill you.”
When his mother threatened to call the police, Barnes retorted: “Aye, go and do it, ‘cos I could do with spending a couple of nights in the polis station.”
Barnes tried to push the bedroom door open, shouting: “Who have you got in the bedroom, you slag?”
She told him there was no-one there and opened the door, but Barnes began to struggle with her.
Police arrived and found the accused’s mother with a swollen cheek and bloodshot eye.
Barnes, who had left the house, later told police he suffered from ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and “got angry ‘cos she had a beast in the house”.
Barnes was sentenced to a community payback order with 60 hours of unpaid work, and received 50 hours after he admitted recklessly damaging a window at Ozkans Grill, Market Street, Galashiels, on November 23 while on three bail orders.
He was sentenced to a CPO with 80 hours of unpaid work following a guilty plea to damaging a car at Talisman Avenue, Galashiels, on August 20, 2012, and breaking a window at Tweed Road, also Galashiels, on the same date.
Barnes was sentenced to an 18-month CPO and 100 hours of unpaid work after he admitted causing £500 damage by repeatedly punching and kicking a vehicle at Roxburgh Street, Galashiels, on July 21 last year, and £80 damage by removing a taxi sign from a vehicle.
All the sentences run concurrently – a total of 100 hours of unpaid work.
BARMAN BROKE WINDOWS
Breaking five windows at his home resulted in Connor Weatherly being sentenced to an 18-month community payback order with 150 hours of unpaid work.
The 20-year-old, of Muthag Street, Selkirk, pleaded guilty to committing the offence on November 18.
Defending, Mat Patrick said alcohol had played a major part in his client’s offending, adding Weatherly, who works as a barman, was taking steps to address his “alcohol issues”.
Weatherly also admitted breaking into RDAS Gym, Weavers Court, Selkirk, and stealing protein supplement powder, mixers and sachets, on November 16.
Co-accused Pedro Correia, a 17-year-old first offender of Montrose Place, Selkirk, was sentenced to 50 hours of unpaid work for the crime.
TEXTING TRIAL DATE
A 47-YEAR-OLD Selkirk woman accused of repeatedly texting a man and blocking him in a field with a car at a farm will stand trial on June 25, with an intermediate hearing on May 28.
Karen Anderson, of Shawmount Farmhouse, appeared from custody at Selkirk Sheriff Court last Friday charged with repeatedly sending unwanted texts to David Gray on various occasions between January 1, 2008, and December 12, 2010.
She pleaded not guilty to repeatedly telephoning David Gray, blocking him a field at Sunnycroft Farm, Lindean, with a car, and repeatedly attending the home address of his partner at Mill Street, Selkirk, on various occasions between December 13, 2010, and January 8 this year.
Anderson also denied repeatedly scratching and damaging a car at Mill Street on December 14/15 last year.
Her admission to breaching a court undertaking by repeatedly sending text messages to David Gray on various occasions between December 24, 2013, and January 8 this year was not accepted by the Crown.
HAWICK MAN’S NOT-GUILTY PLEA
A Hawick man who denies behaving in a threatening or abusive manner at a house in the town will stand trial on June 25.
Thirty-eight-year-old Scott Stewart, of Queens Drive, appeared from custody, pleading not guilty to shouting, swearing and breaking a table at house in Queens Drive last Thursday.
An intermediate hearing was set for May 28 and Stewart was released on bail with special conditions.
ROBBERY ALLEGATION
A Galashiels man appeared in private charged on petition with assault and robbery in the town.
Kevin Wilkinson, 37, of Balmoral Avenue, made no plea or declaration and was remanded in custody.
SHOPLIFTER BAILED
A woman who stole from a Hawick supermarket will be sentenced at Jedburgh Sheriff Court on March 21.
Christine Tweedie, 48, of Maxton Court, Hawick, appeared from custody and admitted stealing goods worth £49.19 from Morrisons in Mart Street last Thursday.
Procurator fiscal Graham Fraser said there had been full recovery of the stolen items which included food and cosmetics.
Tweedie was released on bail.
SENTENCE DEFERRED
A teenager who used sectarian and offensive language had sentence deferred until February 3 to appear personally.
Nineteen-year-old Sean Anderson, of Byrewalls Farm Cottage, Gordon, admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner at Channel Street, Galashiels, on November 10.
BENEFITS FIDDLER
A LILLIESLEAF woman who falsely claimed more than £5,000 in benefits had sentence deferred for six months to allow her to make voluntary repayments.
Samara Thomson, 28, of Hislop’s Row, admitted obtaining £2,583 income support and £2,666 housing and council tax benefit to which she was not entitled between October 2012 and June 2013.
Defending, Mat Patrick said Thomson – a first offender – had initially made valid claims,but failed to advise the authorities of a change in circumstances.
He added that “pressure” and family circumstances, including a bereavement, had contributed to the “crime of omission”.
APPEARED IN PRIVATE
A man appeared in private charged on petition with causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
The allegation is believed to relate to an incident on the A68 at Soutra last August.
David Agnew, 54, of Victoria Terrace, Musselburgh, made no plea or declaration and was released on bail.
AIR RIFLE CHARGE
A woman accused of having a knife and air rifle in West Linton was detained in custody overnight, pending further consideration of bail.
Forty-six-year-old Jacqueline Woods, of Deanfoot Road, West Linton, appeared in private at Selkirk Sheriff Court on Monday afternoon, charged on petition with breach of the peace, vandalism and possession of a knife and an air rifle in the village on Friday.
She made no plea or declaration and the case was continued.
On Tuesday, Woods was released on bail.
TRIO TO FACE JURY
Three accused, charged with stabbing a man in the back with a knife, will stand trial by jury on January 27.
John McDevitt, 35, of Viewbank Avenue, Airdrie; Sean Mercer, 29, of Torwoodlee Road, Galashiels; and 35-year-old John Chambers, of Vickers Street, Motherwell, appeared on indictment and denied assaulting a man at a house in Montomery Street, Innerleithen, on December 28, 2012, and restraining a woman there.