Denies assaulting two men

A Coatbridge man will return to court in August after pleading not guilty to assaulting two men.

Martin Christie, 35, is accused of attacking two men in an outburst allegedly based on prejudice relating to the sexual orientation of his victims.

Christie, of Hospital Street, appeared at Airdrie Sheriff Court last week after being arrested in the early hours of Sunday, May 19.

He denies three charges, the first of which accuses him of pushing a man onto a set of steps, kicking him on the body which caused him to fall to the ground, and striking him on the head and body.

He also allegedly forced his way into a Hospital Street property and struck a second man on the body before throwing him into a cupboard.

Christie is accused of carrying out these attacks and behaving in a threatening manner while uttering aggressive and homophobic remarks.

After pleading not guilty to the charges facing him, Christie was bailed and ordered to return for an intermediate diet in August, before trial starts on September 3.

Heroin possession

A man caught in possession of heroin has been jailed.

Pawel Machalinski, 34, will spend 80 days behind bars after admitting the offence.

The High Coats resident was also punished for giving a false name and date-of-birth to police officers when stopped on Coatbridge’s Main Street on April 27.

The accused’s defence solicitor outlined his client was already subject to a community payback order and argued: “My client accepts he was in possession of the substance.

“He has around 260 hours left to do and he has indicated to me he’s willing to comply with it.

“He lost his employment recently which means he can now focus on the order instead of prioritising his work.”

Sheriff Frank Pieri pointed out “the report is not an encouraging one” before Machalinski’s solicitor continued: “He has a serious drinking problem.

“He also seems to have an issue with authoritative figures.

“But he now has nothing to stop him completing his unpaid work.”

Sheriff Pieri ruled: “I have heard everything said on your behalf but this is a very bad report.

“There is no point imposing another community payback order for this as there’s no prospect of you completing it.

“You pled guilty to this, though, so I’ll sentence you to 80 days in jail which I have reduced from four months.”

Assaulted partner

An Airdrie man who assaulted his partner while in possession of a weapon has been given unpaid work.

Scott Hotchkiss, 20, admitted to seizing his lover’s body and pinning her against a wall on Pine Street after walking home from a party together on September 3 last year.

The Bankhead Avenue resident was found with a screwdriver in his pocket when police arrived, although he didn’t use it during his assault.

Hotchkiss’ defence solicitor explained: “My client’s explanation is in the report.

“I spoke to his partner and she made it clear to me she feels safe with him.

“There is little likelihood of him reoffending and he has nothing else outstanding.

Sheriff Frank Pieri decided: “I’ll impose a community payback order including supervision.

“This will be for one year and you must do as your supervising officer instructs you.

“That’s for the assault; with regards to carrying a weapon in public you will do 70 hours of unpaid work which I have reduced from 80.

“If you breach this order you will be sentenced on it all over again.”

Carried weapon

A Coatbridge man who was caught in possession of a sharp 10-inch item has been given the chance to be of good behaviour.

John McLean, 26, was caught with a ground stake primarily used for a solar light after a member of the public saw him carrying it on Airdrie’s Monkland Street.

The Dunbeth Court resident pleaded guilty to having the weapon in his possession on April 30.

The procurator fiscal read: “The witness was driving and saw the accused to be in possession of a weapon before trying to throw it over a wall, but it bounced off it and fell at his feet.

“She contacted police who made their way to the locus and they observed the accused.

“They searched for the weapon and found a ground stake for a garden solar light about 10 inches in length.

“It was shown to the caller who confirmed it was what they had seen.

“The accused told police he had it to defend himself.”

His defence solicitor argued: “He has just recently been placed on an order.

“He has completed the induction for it and made a promising start to it.”

Sheriff Frank Pieri said: “This is an extremely serious matter and could really see you imprisoned.

“However, you have just been placed on an order so I will defer sentence for six months.

“I want you to be of good behaviour and engage properly in the community payback order. It’s now over to you to demonstrate you can do that.”

He allegedly attacked two men with a motive of prejudice based on his victims’ sexual orientation