Tagged for Class C drug offence

Being concerned in the supply of a Class C drug will lead to a man being confined to his own home for much of the next few months.

Greg Bennett was found with diazepam at his former home on Airdrie’s Deedes Street on April 25.

The 28-year-old also had cannabis at the location and was charged with possession of the Class B drug.

Bennett, who now lives in Bellshill, admitted both offences and a deferral for background reports was ordered at Airdrie Sheriff Court.

He was back in court last week, when defence lawyer Gerard Devaney appealed for a community- based disposal.

While not sending Bennett to jail, Sheriff Derek O’Carroll told him he would “essentially be a prisoner in his own home” and placed him under a restriction of liberty order for the diazepam-related charge.

Bennett was tagged for four months, which will see him confined to his home every day from 7pm to 7am.

Sheriff O’Carroll admonished Bennett on the cannabis charge.

Drink-driving

A Gartlea motorist who got behind the wheel while nearly five-and-a-half times over the drink-drive limit has been banned from the road – and will have to carry out unpaid work.

Piotras Kavaliauskas was pulled over by police on South Biggar Road, Airdrie, on May 12.

The boozed- up 55- year- old was found to have 119 microgrammes of alcohol in his breath; the limit being 22.

He was placed under arrest and owned up to driving under the influence of alcohol at Airdrie Sheriff Court.

Kavaliauskas, from Douglas Street, was sentenced last week following a deferral for reports looking into his background.

Defence lawyer Nicky Matteo revealed his client was remorseful and recognised how potentially dangerous his actions were.

Sheriff Derek O’Carroll told Kavaliauskas he was imposing a community payback order which will see him carry out 180 hours of unpaid work. This was reduced from 200 hours due to Kavaliauskas’ guilty plea and the order was a “direct alternative to a fine”.

Kavaliauskas was also disqualified from driving for the next year.

Nuisance set off centre fire alarm

A Bargeddie nuisance who set off a fire alarm at The Quadrant shopping centre in Coatbridge failed to surface in court for sentencing.

Carrie Ann Brown struck a glass panel before pressing a button to activate the alarm at the Main Street facility on October 3 last year.

She owned up to “giving fire service employees a false alarm of fire” and was due to face the music at Airdrie Sheriff Court last week after background reports were ordered.

However, the 36-year-old Rosebank Terrace resident was conspicuous by her absence in the dock, with defence lawyer Luke O’Curry requesting a further deferral for his client.

Sheriff Derek O’Carroll gave Brown another opportunity to surface and continued proceedings until July 24 for “supplementary criminal justice social work reports”.

Dangerous driving across town roads

A reckless Airdrie man who drove dangerously through the town – including going the wrong way on a roundabout – has denied breaching his court order.

Ryan Moochan committed his high-risk actions behind the wheel on November 14 last year when he was pursued by a police car.

Travelling on “various roads”, including Forrest Street, Castle Road and Learigg Road, Moochan drove at “grossly excessive speeds, failed to slow down at junctions and drove in an anticlockwise direction at a roundabout” before losing control of the vehicle which came to a stop in a field.

Moochan, from Hillrigg Avenue, then abandoned the car but was later traced by police officers and taken into custody.

The irresponsible 24-year-old pled guilty to dangerous driving and getting behind the wheel without insurance and was sentenced to a community payback order a t Airdrie Sheriff Court o n March 27.

However, Moochan found himself back in the dock last week to face allegations he has breached the order.

Defence lawyer Mark Lutton told the court his client was denying the alleged breach, which led to Sheriff Derek O’Carroll fixing a proof hearing on August 9.

Sheriff Derek O’Carroll told him he would ‘essentially be a prisoner in his own home’