Arbroath man given final chance to avoid prison sentence

An Angus man has been placed on a six-week curfew as part of his last chance to stay out of jail.

Fraser Gunn will be confined to his home at Brechin Road in Arbroath from 7pm to 7am daily.

It comes after he appeared at Forfar Sheriff Court and admitted a string of offences, including shoplifting from Asda and Boots in Arbroath.

Gunn appeared before Sheriff Alison Mckay from custody.

Defence solicitor Keith Sym said the 31-year-old had been on remand since mid-november and had detoxed in prison.

“I would suggest there are chinks of light in the social work report and a change in Mr Gunn,” he said.

“He has asked me to pass up a handwritten letter to the bench, which I would suggest shows a degree of insight. There is a stark choice for the court of giving Mr Gunn a final chance or sending him back to prison.”

Sheriff Mckay agreed to give Gunn a chance to prove he had changed, but warned: “If you even drop a piece of litter, custody is inevitable.”

Also at Forfar. A two-time banned driver has been warned he is at risk of going to prison.

Liam Taylor, 25, of Walker Road, Aberdeen, previously admitted driving while disqualified and without insurance on the A90 between Forfar and Dundee on June 4.

Sentence was deferred until January 18 for a restriction of liberty order (RLO) assessment.

The sheriff told Taylor: “My difficulty is that in January you were disqualified and made subject to a RLO, and because this is your second disqualified driving then custody is something that has to be an option.

“I consider this to be a serious matter.”