COURT ROUND-UP: Knife attacks and domestic abuse among last month's Inverness court business
Inverness Sheriff Court saw a huge mix of criminal business in August.
Here's our recap of some of the cases that made the headlines last month.
A church missionary abused and assaulted his wife as she mourned the loss of several family members, once after she asked him for a hug.
Donald John Morrison was convicted following a two-day trial at Inverness Sheriff Court of a campaign of domestic abuse against his wife of 17 years, Haidi, between November 2022 and November 2023.
Two teenagers are facing custodial sentences after admitting knife attacks on two youths in Inverness last year which left their victims bleeding heavily.
Inverness Sheriff Court heard that 18-year-old Calvin Abbott and a 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, tried to rob a 17-year-old youth of his hooded top at the Raining Stairs car park on the afternoon of November 7, 2023.
An Army veteran dressed up in a mini skirt and ballerina shoes after attacking his wife while wearing a pink bra.
As Samuel Cree, who served in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo and Northern Ireland, waited for the military welfare officer and padre to arrive after the incident, the 53 year old high fived his partner of 19 years and made her a cup of tea.
• READ MORE: Army veteran attacked wife at Inverness house while wearing a bra
A 47-year-old motorist who was caught driving with excess alcohol for a second time was banned from the road for four years at Inverness Sheriff Court.
George Bradley, of Scorguie Drive, Inverness appeared before Sheriff Sara Matheson for sentence after previously admitting driving with over five times the legal amount of alcohol in his system.
• READ MORE: Inverness drink-driver banned from the road for four years
A sexual predator who was banned from approaching young boys defied the court order and offered to pay a teenager to perform a sex act on him.
Inverness Sheriff Court was told that Ian Wright (29), was on bail with a special condition prohibiting the contact when he tried to groom the 13 year old and asked for a naked photograph of him.
• READ MORE: Inverness sexual predator targeted teenage boy
A sheriff jailed a drink driver who drove his van down the wrong side of the busy A9 and rammed the car of a woman motorist he was pursuing.
Sheriff Sara Matheson told Slawomir Stiller (49), from Poland, it was "one of the worst courses of driving coupled with abusive conduct that I can recall, adding: “And this on the A9, which is well known for being the scene of many fatalities.
A teenager who spray-painted "Gas the Jews" and several swastikas on walls and signs in Nairn has volunteered to participate in a programme designed to prevent extremist ideology.
While 18-year-old Peter Fonseca, of Macrae Avenue, Nairn was awaiting sentence at Inverness Sheriff Court, his lawyer Donna Seivwright revealed he had been participating in a rehabilitation programme called Prevent.
A customer in an Inverness nightspot had a glass he was holding smashed in his face when another patron barged into him as he left the premises.
At Inverness Sheriff Court, Darren Macrae (35), of Westfield Brae, Inverness, admitted culpably and recklessly causing the item to break in the face of the other man in the early hours of November 27, 2021 in Botanic House in the city’s Castle Street.
• READ MORE: Inverness pub customer had glass broken in his face
A Moray farmer crashed his combine harvester into an historic bridge on a scenic rural route in the Highlands, causing it to be closed it for almost three months.
The Bridge of Dava on the A939 - also known as the Lecht road, which connects the A96 at Nairn with the A95 at Grantown on Spey - was struck and partially collapsed after David Nicolson (62) crashed his giant machine into the parapet.
• READ MORE: Inverness court hears how Forres farmer caused £60,000 damage to bridge
A Romanian illegal immigrant was recruited by a serious organised crime gang to sell cocaine in the Highlands.
Ioan Chis, a 23-year-old remanded to Perth Prison, now expects to be deported at the conclusion of court proceedings after he admitted dealing drugs in Inverness totalling over £12,000 between July 31, 2023 and September 5, 2023.
An Inverness-shire crofter was found asleep in his vehicle by police who were tipped off by an off-duty colleague that he had been drink-driving, Inverness Sheriff Court heard.
The car was parked on a rural access road between East Croachy and Mains of Flichity at about 12.50pm on July 7 last year, said fiscal depute David Morton.
A sheriff warned an Inverness man that one punch assaults can lead to victims dying and attackers ending up in the High Court facing a charge of culpable homicide.
Sheriff Gary Aitken told 28-year-old Joshua Jack all it takes is for the victim to “crack his head on the tarmac” resulting in fatal consequences.
• READ MORE: Sheriff warns of one-punch attack dangers after assault at ATM
A banned driver was caught on CCTV deliberately mowing down a cyclist.
Ross Grant ploughed into Benjamin Drummond in broad daylight in Greig Street in Inverness on August 24 last year.
• READ MORE: Banned driver mowed down cyclist in Inverness
An Inverness council house tenant who allowed her home to be used for drug dealing was jailed for 16 months at Inverness Sheriff Court.
Tracey Mackintosh (61) was caught when police acting on intelligence raided the Rosehaugh Road premises with a drugs search warrant in the summer of 2020.
• READ MORE: Inverness woman (61) jailed for letting her home be used for selling cocaine and heroin
