Accused denies assault charges

A MAN has continued to deny allegations he forced a lit cigarette into a woman’s mouth before knocking her unconscious during a four-day attack.

Ross Ramsay is accused of repeatedly assaulting the woman at an address in Douglas between January 28 and February 1.

He is also alleged to have attacked his mother and brother during a separate incident.

Ramsay appeared at Dundee Sheriff Court via video link and continued to plead not guilty to all charges.

It is alleged the 38-yearold stole a vehicle from an address on Hebrides Drive on November 19 last year before attacking his mother on Finlarig Terrace on the same day.

He denies pursuing her, choking her with his jacket, pressing his arm against her face and pushing her against her car.

It is alleged Ramsay repeatedly punched his brother on the head, pursued him, placed his arm around his neck and struck him on the body with a sharp object.

Between January 28 and February 1 at an address on Balunie Street, Ramsay is alleged to have engaged in an abusive course of conduct towards a woman.

He allegedly repeatedly refused to leave, seized her mobile phone when she tried to call for help and threw the phone into a garden.

Ramsay is also charged with seizing her leg and pulling her downstairs, pulling her by the body and forcing a lit cigarette into her mouth.

On January 30, he allegedly entered the woman’s home uninvited while she was asleep and made abusive remarks towards her, repeatedly punched her on the head and body, pushed her against furniture and seized her throat.

Prosecutors allege he again entered uninvited on February 1 and threatened to kill her before locking her inside.

Ramsay denies dragging her along the ground, repeatedly striking her head against a door and repeatedly punching and kicking her on the head and body.

Ramsay, a prisoner at HMP Perth, had his case continued until February by Sheriff Alastair Carmichael who continued to remand him in custody.

PUPILS at St John’s Academy in Perth are celebrating the arrival of Teddy, a nurture dog.

Using funds from the Pupil Equity Fund, pupils had the chance to vote for their most important improvement and chose to bring in a nurture dog.

The cockapoo will be cared for by Lesley

A HIGH-RISK sex offender who repeatedly raped a sleeping woman has been locked up for five years.

Gavin Cooper, 38, committed the offence at a house in Dundee before going on to commit sex crimes against two other women.

Judge Norman McFadyen told Cooper at the High Court in Edinburgh the rape offence was the most serious but that his other crimes disclosed “a troubling attitude towards women”.

The judge added it was clear that a custodial sentence was required to deal with Cooper, who followed the proceedings via video link from Perth prison.

Judge McFadyen also ordered Cooper to be supervised for a further three years and warned that if he failed to meet the conditions his licence could be revoked.

Cooper had originally faced a total of 23 charges, which he denied during an earlier trial.

He was convicted of raping one woman on various occasions between December 2010 and June 2015.

He was also found guilty of sexually assaulting a second sleeping woman at a hotel in Edinburgh on August 5 in 2018.

Cooper was further convicted of sending explicit images and video footage of a further woman to her