Court round-up: All the latest news from Selkirk and Jedburgh sheriff courts
A MOTORIST man who admitted driving while more than six times the legal alcohol limit has been banned from the road for five years at Selkirk Sheriff Court.
Adrian Strangeways, 54, from Newtown St Boswells, pleaded guilty to the offence which happened on the A708 road near Craig Douglas in the Yarrow Valley on September 4 last year. Strangeways recorded a breath/alcohol count of 137 microgrammes – the legal limit being 22.
An interim disqualification has already been imposed.
He had appeared from custody after being remanded for failing to turn up for appointments to prepare background reports.
In addition to the disqualification period, Strangeways was also given a nine months Community Payback order with supervision.
SHOPLIFTER JAILED
A SHOPLIFTER has been jailed for six months at Selkirk Sheriff Court. Wayne Wilkes, who is 42 and gave an address in Hawick, admitted several shoplifting offences when he appeared at Jedburgh Sheriff Court.
Sheriff Peter Paterson told him he was being given a final opportunity to refrain from offending.
But Wilkes appeared from custody at Selkirk Sheriff Court last Tuesday and admitted stealing an item from Farmfoods in High Street, Hawick, the previous day.
Sheriff Paterson said he had no alternative but to impose a custodial sentence.
JAILED
A HAWICK man has been jailed for 15 months at Selkirk Sheriff Court after a dispute with neighbours. Forty-year-old Tristan McCuaig was initially given a Community Pay Back Order for uttering threats of violence and challenging a neighbour to fight when he lived in Lothian Street, on November 4 last year.
By committing the offence he also breached an undertaking not to be in contact with the man.
But McCuaig breached the order and returned to Selkirk Sheriff Court where he was given an eight-month jail sentence.
In addition he was given six months prison for assaulting two health care workers at Borders General Hospital on the same date and repeatedly spitting at them.
McCuaig was also sentenced to another 30 days – to run consecutively to the other sentences – for breaching his bail conditions on December 20.
EXTORTION CHARGE
TWENTY-NINE-YEAR-OLD Jordan Cunningham, from Galashiels, will face trial at Selkirk Sheriff Court on May 16 on a charge of extortion.
He is currently remanded in custody.
SEVEN CHARGES
A 32-YEAR-OLD man alleged to have committed seven offences in the Borders will stand trial at Selkirk Sheriff Court on July 9.
Graham McBeth, who gave an address in Roslin, denies assault to injury, threatening or abusive behaviour, obstructing police, possession of a bladed article, two counts of theft and also possession of a class C drug.
TRIAL
A SELKIRK woman will face trial at the town’s sheriff court on a charge of child cruelty.
Shelley Brunton, 32, has pleaded not guilty and also denies a charge of failing to meet the needs of an animal as required by good practice.
The trial date has been set for August 6.
TRIAL DATE
DAVID McGarva, who is 38 and from Peebles, denies charges of culpable and reckless conduct, threatening or abusive behaviour and failing to appear at an undertaking.
A trial date has been fixed for July 23 at Selkirk Sheriff Court.
DRUG CHARGE
TWENTY-SIX-YEAR-OLD Aaron O’Donnell, from Peebles, denies being concerned in the supply of a controlled drug.
A trial date has been set for August 6 at Selkirk Sheriff Court.
CHARGE DENIED
A NEWTOWN St Boswells man has been accused of sending offensive messages. Forty-three-year-old Adam Murray will stand trial at Selkirk Sheriff Court on August 6.
TRIAL DATE
A SELKIRK pensioner will face trial at the town’s sheriff court on a drink driving charge. Sixty-seven-year-old Alexander Telfer denies driving while over the alcohol limit.
A trial date has been set for May 14.
CANNISTER BREACH
REPORTS have been ordered into a Galashiels man who admitted being in possession of a cannister containing PAVA which was in breach of the Firearms Act.
Colin Shaw, who is 54, claimed he thought the cannister contained deodorant when he picked it up from an Air B&B in London.
His partner thought so as well and used it under her arms only for it to cause severe irritation.
Shaw took the cannister out of his property in Balnakiel Gardens and popped it in his van for safe keeping. But the cannister was found when police stopped his van in Galashiels on November 25, 2021, and he admitted not storing it in a secure place. After being told Shaw was unable to pay a fine, Sheriff Peter Paterson deferred sentence for background reports to establish whether Shaw was able to carry out unpaid work. Sentence was deferred at Selkirk Sheriff Court until May 27.
STALKING CHARGE
A 52-YEAR-OLD woman has been charged with stalking the owner of a dog-walking business and repeatedly threatening to shoot the animals in his care.
Mandy Grierson, whose address was given as Cloich Farm, near Lamancha, is alleged to have engaged in a course of conduct which caused the man fear and alarm, in respect of his business, by repeatedly making insulting and derogatory remarks about him and toward him.
She is also accused of repeatedly following him and making posts to social media sites which suggested he had failed to operate his business properly; and obstructed him from using a path by loading it with unsecured logs – which, it is claimed, she had no authority to do.
The offence is alleged to have been committed at Cloich Forest, Peebles, and elsewhere, between April 3 and August 25 last year.
Grierson has also been charged with exposing the man to danger at Cloich Farm on June 12 last year, by driving a tractor carrying an insecure tree trunk in a culpable or reckless manner, whereby the loader and its load is alleged to have passed over the top of the man’s van. Grierson denied both charges of stalking and culpable and reckless conduct.
On a motion from the Crown the trial was adjourned and will now take place at Selkirk Sheriff Court on August 20.
TRIAL DATE
A 55-YEAR-OLD woman appeared from custody at Selkirk Sheriff Court last Thursday accused of obstructing police officers and behaving in a threatening or abusive manner.
Dawn Bennett is alleged to have committed the offences at her home in Fisher Avenue, Hawick, earlier in the week.
She pleaded not guilty to both charges and trial date was fixed for August 15 at Jedburgh Sheriff Court.
She was released on standard bail. Bennett had been arrested after police officers visited her home with a warrant relating to an unpaid £800 fine which had been transferred from an English court.
She requested further time to pay the outstanding fine at a rate of £60 per week.
TRIAL
TWENTY-SIX-YEAR-OLD Lace Farrell, from Galashiels, denied a charge of threatening or abusive behaviour and will face trial at Selkirk Sheriff Court on July 25.
CUSTODY CASE
A 42-YEAR-OLD man appeared from custody at Selkirk Sheriff Court last Wednesday charged with stalking and also threatening or abusive behaviour. Gulabi Kilic, from Duns, pleaded not guilty to the charges and a trial was set for June 20 at Jedburgh Sheriff Court.
BAIL BREACH
A GALASHIELS man who admitted breaching his bail conditions had sentence deferred until June 24 for good behaviour. Thirty-four-year-old Michael Hartley pleaded guilty to approaching a man in Wood Street, Galashiels, on March 4, when a court order was in place banning him from doing so. Selkirk Sheriff Court was told that Hartley had been remanded in custody since last month and had taken the opportunity to detox and was feeling a lot better.
Sheriff Peter Paterson said that despite Hartley being released from custody, he would still be subject to a night time curfew at his Meigle Street home.