Van man who tried to run over guisers escapes jail
Driving ban for accused after sheriff’s leniency
A LORRY driver who drove dangerously while hunting teens who “egged” his home on Halloween has been shown mercy by a sheriff.
Graeme Duncan was found guilty of driving at speed towards two youths he suspected had been involved in egg-throwing.
But Sheriff Linda Smith admonished him after hearing how his home had been targeted repeatedly for years and the police had failed to stem the abuse.
Duncan was given the mandatory minimum 12month driving ban after his lawyer said the conviction would have a “catastrophic” impact on him.
A jury at Perth Sheriff Court found Duncan, 59, guilty of dangerous driving by heading his car at two 16-year-old boys in Auchterarder, Perthshire, on October 31, 2019.
Jurors heard he “chased” the two boys in his grey Nissan as he drove around the town asking youngsters about the egg attacks on his home.
He was also found guilty of driving carelessly through Hunter Street and High Street on the same evening, when he mounted a pavement and drove towards a 15-year-old boy.
The jury found other charges, relating to having a baseball bat, not proven.
Sheriff Linda Smith said she accepted Duncan had already “suffered a long period of abuse at the hands of local youths”.
Giving evidence at his trial, Duncan said he had repeatedly phoned police about attacks on his home since 2017 but no one had ever been charged.
He told how his living room window was regularly smeared with pizza.
He denied getting angry when two eggs hit his kitchen window on Halloween 2019.
And he added that he jumped in his car and went looking for the teenagers who carried out the attack.
One student said he had been playing football with a friend when they received word a friend had been hit by a car.
Solicitor David Holmes said: “This conviction is catastrophic for Mr Duncan. It will lead to him losing his employment.”