Cases at Forfar Sheriff Court

An Angus man will be sentenced next month after he admitted a New Year’s Day fire-raising charge.

George Chalmers, 42, of Lochlands Street, Arbroath, appeared before Sheriff Alison Mckay at Forfar where he admitted setting fire to two bins in Arbroath on January 1 this year, destroying them and causing damage to greenhouse glass, windows and guttering.

Sheriff Mckay told Chalmers: “This is a serious charge and the fact you have a previous conviction for the same offence makes it inevitable the court cannot deal with this today.”

Sentence was deferred until November 16 so the court could obtain a social work report and restriction of liberty order assessment. Also at Forfar:

Ronald Moore, 69, of Birkbenbush Farm Cottages, near Forfar, was fined £600 and banned for 15 months after he admitted driving a van in Forfar on September 22 with an excess alcohol count of 42 microgrammes against a legal limit of 22.

Depute fiscal Jill Drummond said police received an anonymous tip-off that Moore had been drinking just five minutes before being stopped.

Defence agent Billy Rennie said: “He is selfemployed and a semi-retired painter and decorator.

“Colleagues were drinking, he wasn’t intending to, but ended up having a drink and then ended up having another.”