A coffee thief has been jailed for three months.
Paul Crowe, 38, of Glendinning Terrace, Galashiels, appeared from custody and admitted stealing coffee worth £4.64 from Home Bargains in the town’s Channel Street on January 20.
He was seen leaving the shop and the stolen coffee was recovered, the sheriff at Selkirk was told this week.
MADE FALSE 999 CALLS
A woman who repeatedly made silent emergency calls has been fined £150.
Michelle Cottington, 51, of Drumlanrig Square, Hawick, admitted dialling 999 and remaining silent at her home on May 5 last year.
The court heard how Cottington called the emergency services five times.
“She told police she was bored,” said prosecutor Tessa Bradley.
Defence solicitor Rory Bannerman said his client had been in poor health at the time and was drinking too much.
BENEFIT FRAUD DENIED
A woman accused of a £7,500 benefits fraud will stand trial on May 15.
Florence Davis, 60, formerly of Kelso and now living at Station Road, Norton, Doncaster, pleaded not guilty to receiving £7,574 in housing and council tax benefit to which she was not entitled at High Croft, Kelso, between October 2010 and August 2012.
TIP-OFF TO POLICE LEADS TO BAN
A driver who failed an impairment test was fined £300 and banned for 12 months.
John Simpson, 38, of Woodstock Avenue, Galashiels, admitted driving a car at the town’s Wilderhaugh on October 19 when unfit through drink or drugs.
Police acted on an anonymous call and he provided a negative roadside breath test for alcohol, but was unable to complete an impairment test.
Simpson also had his licence endorsed after he pleaded guilty to driving the car without holding a full licence, after his driving licence was revoked in 2008.
CLUBBER STRUCK WITH BOTTLE
A teenager struck another man with a bottle during a ruckus in a Galashiels nightclub.
First offender David Tait had been holding a bottle of vodka, watching a confrontation, when the victim bundled into him.
Tait’s solicitor, Mat Patrick, told the sheriff: “He thought he had done it deliberately, although he had been pushed into him, and instinctively punched him. It was not his intention to use the bottle as a weapon, but he punched him while holding it.”
Tait, 18, of Galashiels Road, Stow, admitted assaulting the man by striking him on the head with a bottle to his injury at the Indigo Rooms in Overhaugh Street on December 29.
Prosecutor Claire Bottomley said the offence happened during the early hours of the morning when the accused ended up in a tussle with the victim.
She added: “He had a bottle in his hand and struck him on the left side of his head, causing the bottle to smash.”
Both men were taken to Borders General Hospital, with the victim sustaining bruising and superficial scratches, while Tait had superficial cuts to his hand.
Mr Patrick said both men had been in separate groups, and one of Tait’s friends became involved in an argument with the complainer, who was a stranger to his client.
The solicitor went on: “He was holding a bottle of vodka they had bought to share and watching the confrontation. When the complainer bundled into him he instinctively punched him, while holding the bottle.”
Sheriff Ian Anderson sentenced Tait to a community bayback order with 60 hours of unpaid work, to be completed within three months, warning him the consequences of his actions could have been disastrous.
CHILD IMAGES ALLEGATIONS
A Selkirk man who denies having indecent images of children will stand trial on August 5, with an intermediate hearing on July 14.
William Brown, 34, of Bleachfield Road, pleaded not guilty to possession of indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children at his home on May 8 last year. He also denies taking or permitting to be taken, or making, indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children.
OFFENDER ON THE ROOF
A 25-year-old man who climbed onto a roof and stared into a relative’s bedroom has been sentenced to a community payback order, with 40 hours of unpaid work to be completed in three months.
Paul Kelly, of Broomhill Cottage, Melrose, admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner at his home on March 23.
PAYBACK TIME FOR DRUNK MAN
A drunken man who behaved aggressively towards police was sentenced to a community payback order, with 70 hours of unpaid work.
Scott Porteous, 39, of Woodstock Avenue, Galashiels, admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner at Maxmill Park, Kelso, on October 5 last year.
Co-accused – 36-year-old Nadine Robertson of Hawthorn Road, Galashiels – pleaded guilty to a similar charge and was fined £150.
Prosecutor Tessa Bradley told how both accused had been drinking at a birthday celebration when police attended a disturbance at the block of flats.
The court heard Robertson was very vocal when officers arrived and began shouting and swearing.
As police were standing on the landing, Porteous shouted: “What the f**k are you doing at my door?”
Defence solicitor Ross Dow said Porteous had been drinking and became belligerent.
Robertson’s lawyer, Rory Bannerman, said there had been a dispute with another resident and an argument ensued.
HAD KNIFE IN HIS POSSESSION
An Innerleithen man, found guilty after trial of having a lock knife, had sentence deferred for six months, until October 6, for good behaviour.
Ross Gilfillan, 33, of Buccleuch Street, denied having a lock knife on the A72 Peebles to Carnwath road, near Neidpath Castle, Peebles, on February 15 last year.
NOT-GUILTY PLEA TO FOX-HUNTING
A man accused of deliberately hunting a fox will stand trial on August 5.
Fifty-three-year-old John Cook, of Main House Lodge, Kelso, denies an offence under the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002.
It is said to have been committed on woodland at Rink Farm, near Galashiels, on November 19 last year.
He also pleads not guilty to two charges under the Animal Health and Welfare Act.
A pre-trial hearing was set for July 14.
ACCUSED IS BAILED
A Hawick man appeared in private, charged on petition with theft by housebreaking in the town.
Twenty-one-year-old Connor Sutherland made no plea or declaration when he appeared in private before Sheriff Peter Paterson at Jedburgh on Friday.
The case was continued and Sutherland released on bail.
SOLD DRUGS TO FUND OWN HABIT
A woman involved in drug dealing has been sentenced to a community payback order with 120 hours of unpaid work.
Twenty-three-year-old Katie Fleming, of Oxenrig Farm Cottages, Coldstream, admitted being concerned in the supply of cannabis at Horsemarket, Kelso, on May 24 last year.
Fleming and another woman were stopped by police while travelling in a vehicle at around 8pm.
Procurator fiscal Tessa Bradley told the sheriff: “Herbal matter, weighing scales and a pot were found in the vehicle. Her phone was also recovered and some test pertaining to supply found on it.”
Three quantities of cannabis were found, with a total value of more than £400.
Defence solicitor Ross Dow said his client had been using cannabis daily at the time of the offence.
“She was selling it on an ad-hoc basis to fund her own habit,” he explained.
Mr Dow said the offence had cost Fleming her employment as a care worker.
He added: “Her family were devastated to find out about this, and it has been a great source of embarrassment.”
CRASH DRIVER’S THREE-YEAR BAN
A disqualified driver, said to be clearly impaired, crashed into a hedge before the car rebounded into the opposite carriageway.
Susanne McCulloch, 47, of Teviot Road, Roxburgh, was sentenced to a 12-month community payback order and banned from driving for three years.
McCulloch admitted driving while disqualified and without insurance on the A699 Kelso-St Boswells road near Roxburgh Barns on February 18. She also pleaded guilty to driving while unfit through drink or drugs.
Police attended the one-vehicle crash and found a white Fiat extensively damaged.
McCulloch confirmed she had been driving and told officers she was disqualified.
Prosecutor Tessa Bradley revealed: “It became apparent that her speech was very deliberate and slow, and her eyes were bloodshot.
“She was also unsteady on her feet and she fell asleep mid-sentence while speaking to the police.”
McCulloch provided a negative roadside breath test for alcohol, but was unable to complete an impairment test, the court was told.
Ms Bradley added: “She told police she was on a methadone programme and had taken her daily dose.”
Ross Dow, defending, said the car belonged to his client’s partner, adding: “They were in the process of selling it and she took a chance.”
BIKE THIEVES IN THE FRAME
Two teenagers who stole a bicycle from a Selkirk garden will be sentenced on May 12.
Thomas Culley, 18, of Arthur Street, Hawick, and 17-year-old Justin Deans, of Raeburn Meadow, Selkirk, admitted stealing a pedal cycle from Leslie Place on November 5.
Only the frame of the £350 bicycle was recovered.