Man remanded pending trial

Not guilty pleas to array of charges

A Hamilton man has denied a string of charges including knife possession, vandalising cars and stealing from vehicles.

John Allison, of Clydesdale Avenue, faced a total of ten charges when he appeared at Hamilton Sheriff Court last Friday, all of which were said to have taken place while he was on bail on two separate matters.

The 40-year-old is alleged to have had a knife in Sempie Street last Thursday, August 10, without reasonable excuse – and to have failed to disclose to police officers he possessed the weapon there during a course of a search.

He is also said to have entered an unsecured car in King Street on the same date and stole a pressure washer, clothing, bags and their contents along with a Satnav system; entered an unsecured car in Rose Crescent and stole a logbook, a quantity of car parts and compact discs – and a third unsecured car, in Sempie Street, and stole compact discs. Allison is further accused of wilfully damaging property by smashing the window of a car in Waverley Street on August 10 and the window of another car on the same date at the junction of Waverley Street and Rose Crescent.

Not guilty pleas were also tendered to charges of driving a car in Clydesdale Avenue without insurance and without a MOT certificate on August 2 – along with a charge of possessing cannabis at Motherwell Police Office on August 10.

At Hamilton Sheriff Court on Friday, Sheriff Daniel Kelly QC set Allison’s trial for September 13 with an intermediate diet of August 31. He refused Allison bail and ordered that he be detained in custody meantime.