The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Longer sentence for applauding sheriff in court
Man who lives shamanic lifestyle sarcastically clapped initial jail-term after he had pled guilty to theft of £15k yacht from Arbroath harbour in September 2018
A self-confessed “shamanic” sailor who stole a £15,000 yacht from a Tayside harbour has had his jail time nearly doubled for applauding the sheriff who was sentencing him.
Richard Gould, 43, was initially given a four-month sentence at Forfar Sheriff Court but had another three months added on for contempt of court as he was clapping his hands towards Sheriff Derek Reekie.
Gould had previously accused the lawman of “coming across very threatening”.
Gould was ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work after he stole the 27ft Osprey from Arbroath harbour in September 2018.
The order was later revoked amid claims from social workers it was “unworkable” as Gould had failed to comply with its conditions.
An arrest warrant was issued and the Afghanistan veteran spent three days in custody last month.
He was then told to sign in at a police station weekly to remind him of upcoming court appearances after the court heard dates have little significance to his alternative lifestyle.
Gould told a sheriff he understood the requirements but did not agree with them.
He was ordered to return to court this week after criminal justice reports were carried out when he was handed his custodial sentence.
Gould and his partner Vivienne Duke were previously said to be following a shamanic existence, an ancient spiritual practice of transcendental energy, and spent two years living under the skies before coming to Angus.
They said they carried out odd jobs on the stolen boat because they wanted to “show it some love” before sailing out of the harbour and heading to Montrose.
The theft was discovered when the Osprey’s Fife owner logged on to a harbourside webcam and noticed his craft was missing, triggering a multiagency chase.
Police and coastguard were involved in a pursuit along the Angus coast, which ended with diving unit officers boarding the vessel near Lunan Bay.
Both Gould and Duke were charged with the theft, but midway through the trial last year he changed his plea to guilty and a not-guilty plea by his partner was accepted.