Marital issues led to assault in Hawick pub
A HAWICK man has been ordered to pay £900 compensation to a man he assaulted in a pub toilet.
Bruce Cranston, 55, of Appletreehall, was also fined £400 for the attack at the town’s Thorterdykes public house on September 28.
Jedburgh Sheriff Court was told that as the man walked out of the toilets Cranston punched him. The victim suffered a cut to his eye, which was glued at the local hospital.
The offence was said to have been committed against a history of marital issues between the two men.
Procurator fiscal Graham Fraser told how the 51-year-old victim had been out socialising and visited the gents around 11.45pm. As he was leaving, Mr Fraser said Cranston all of a sudden punched him on the face.
Mr Fraser went on: “Nothing was said. There is a previous history between them involving marital issues.”
Defence solicitor Rory Bannerman conceded: “That one punch will be a costly one, and he knows it is something he should not have got involved in. He looks back on this matter with regret. They had not seen eye to eye, and when he saw him, he saw red.”
Imposing a financial penalty totalling £1,300, Sheriff Derrick McIntyre told Cranston: “There is no explanation other than a background of disagreement.”
Thief stole to eat and fuel drink habits
A SHERIFF has been told a meat thief stole because he was hungry.
Artur Maciaga told police he had no money and was “hungry, very hungry.”
The 39-year-old, formerly of Fairhurst Drive, Hawick, admitted stealing £4 worth of meat at the town’s Morrisons supermarket on September 28.
At a previous hearing, prosecutor Andrew Richardson said staff had been watching the accused as he was a known thief.
Defence solicitor Ross Dow told the court: “He was very candid with police. He said he had no money and put the beef into his rucksack. He has a drink problem and spends most of his money on that.”
Last Friday, Procurator Fiscal Graham Fraser confirmed there had been full recovery of the stolen meat.
Maciaga, who appeared from custody and planned to stay in Edinburgh on his release, was sentenced to a Community Payback Order with 18 months under supervision, and a condition he attends for alcohol counselling.
He also admitted stealing alcohol from the Co-op store in High Street, Jedburgh, on November 15, and stealing a charity box and its contents from W J Huttons, Butcher, Howegate, Hawick, on November 20.
Mr Fraser said there was no recovery of the bottle of vodka, worth about £20, but the charity box was returned.
Maciaga was sentenced to 140 hours of unpaid work, to be completed within six months.
Solicitor Mat Patrick explained: “These thefts were conducted to try to get money for drink. Since being in custody, he has had two months off alcohol, and says he wants to stay that way.”
Accused held until his trial date
AN ACCUSED has been remanded in custody until trial which will take place at Selkirk Sheriff Court on February 18.
Kevin Wilkinson, 37, of Balmoral Avenue, Galashiels, appeared from custody at Jedburgh Sheriff Court on Friday.
Wilkinson pleaded not guilty to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner at his home the previous day.
He also denies assaulting his partner resulting in her being injured.
Procurator fiscal Graham Fraser opposed bail, telling the sheriff that Wilkinson had an appalling record of previous convictions.
A pre-trial hearing takes place on Monday.
Festive cuddle
request puts
ex in dock
JAMES BELL threatened a former partner on Christmas Eve and last week was sentenced to a three-month Community Payback Order with 60 hours of unpaid work.
Bell, 23, of Charles Street, Hawick, admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner towards the woman at a house at Lanton Place, Hawick.
Procurator fiscal Graham Fraser said the couple had been in a relationship for 18 months, but broke up about a week before.
He went to the house to talk in the early hours of the morning. Mr Fraser said: “He wanted her to cuddle him, and when she declined, he began to shout and threaten to damage the property.”
The woman dialled 999, and police could hear a distressed female from outside, and the accused shouting and swearing, said Mr Fraser.
Defence solicitor Alison Marshall said the relationship was now over.
She told the court: “He says that she telephoned him and asked him to go over, which he did, and there was an argument between them, and he refused to leave.”
Sex texter ordered to appear in court
A MAN who sent a friend late night text messages saying he was aroused by a naked two-year-old girl and wanted to touch her, has had sentence deferred until Monday when he has been told to appear in person.
Lee McDowall, 25, was previously placed on the Sex Offender’s Register when he originally appeared from custody in December.
The vulnerable adult who received the messages was so concerned about the content of the messages he showed them to his support worker the following morning and police were alerted.
McDowall admitted sending offensive or obscene text messages from his home in Jura Drive, Tweedbank, on December 27/28.
At the previous hearing, defence lawyer Iain Burke said McDowall’s comments had been entirely fictional and he added that he had no intention of touching a two-year-old girl realising it was wrong and that he would be sent to prison.
Mr Burke concluded: “He was under the influence of alcohol at the time and the text conversation became more sexually oriented in nature. But it was a complete and utter fiction.”
Depute fiscal Tessa Bradley said the accused was also banned from having access to the internet without approval.
She added: “He has been diagnosed as having a low IQ and a mild learning disability. The recipient of the message was a vulnerable adult he met while working in a voluntary gardening group at a school for people with learning difficulties.
“They were having a text conversation and during the course of this there were a number of messages about the accused being in the company of a two-year-old girl and being aroused by her. It was only later that it emerged the child was not real.”
McDowall admitted sending the offensive messages.
Man found partner leaving
JAMIE WILKINSON awoke to find his partner was leaving him and followed her out of the house ranting and raving.
Wilkinson, 35, of Thistle Street, Galashiels, appeared from custody at Selkirk and admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner at his home on Saturday.
Prosecutor Tessa Bradley said there had been difficulties and the woman had gone to stay with a relative.
She returned to collect belongings and found Wilkinson asleep on a couch and tried not to disturb him as she packed. She was about to take the final box to the car when he woke.
Ms Bradley explained: “She told him the relationship was over and she had left a letter for him but he followed her out ranting and raving. She hurriedly got into the car and he punched the window.”
Solicitor Ross Dow described the offence as relatively minor in the grand scale of things. Mr Dow commented: “He wakes to find her leaving home and his pleas for her not to leave him fell on deaf ears.”
Sentence was deferred until February 24 for reports and he was freed on bail with a condition not to approach the woman.
Driving charge
denied
A KELSO man who denies being in charge of a van when almost five times the alcohol limit, had a further hearing set for February 14.
Steven Trimble, 55, of Syndenham Court, is due to stand trial on February 20.
He has previously denied being in charge of a van at Roxburgh Street, Kelso, on June 24, with a breath/ alcohol reading of 166mcgs – the legal limit being 35.
Remanded
A SHERIFF as remanded a Galashiels man in custody until he stands trial on March 4.
Dean McCallum, 22, of Whin Court, appeared from the cells at Selkirk Sheriff Court and denied behaving in a threatening or abusive manner at King Street, Galashiels, on Sunday.
He also denies challenging police to fight and threatening to harm their families.