Landowner set to serve fraction of his jail sentence
Toff back in dock on dangerous dog offence
A Stirling district landowner who was jailed in February on a £60,000 benefit fraud is set to be released from prison at the end of this month.
Aristocrat Dru Edmonstone, a cousin of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, will have served only four months of a 21-month prison term imposed for a “significant and sophisticated” scam. Jailing 46-year-old Edmonstone in February, Sheriff Wyllie Robertson rejected claims that a psychiatric condition lay behind his criminal behaviour which occurred between January 2014 and April 2017. The £60,000 in bogus benefits pocketed by Edmonstone had been channelled into high-risk spread betting.
When Edmonstone returned to Stirling Sheriff Court this week from custody on charges under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 his lawyer told the court he was due to be released on a tag at the end of June under the Home Detention Curfew.
The measure allows non-violent prisoners on shorter sentences to be released with an ankle tag after serving less than 25 per cent of their original tariff.
However, they are required to remain at home each day from 7pm to 7am.
On Wednesday, Edmonstone pleaded guilty to a charge that his Czechoslovakian wolfdog had been dangerously out of control on a road between Arnlehaven near the West Highland Way and Cuilt Road, Blanefield, on December 4, 2016. The dog, named Sundance, had repeatedly bit Alison MacKay, her husband Euan MacKay and Thomas and Wilma Torrance, all to their injury. He had ordered Mrs MacKay who had been out jogging to ‘get off my land.’
Fiscal depute Claire Rowan told the court Mr MacKay had been by the West Highland Way near Edmonstone’s Ardoch House on land owned by the accused.
Mr MacKay was on a bike, his wife Alison was running and Wilma and Thomas Torrance were on foot.
Ms Rowan said: “The wolfdog approached Euan MacKay and began to bite him on the leg.
“Mr MacKay got off the bike and began to use it as a shield.
The Torrances, who were slightly behind, saw the dog approach Alison MacKay and bite her right leg, right forearm and scratch her back.
Mrs MacKay shouted over to Edmonstone that the dog was biting her, but his reply was: ‘No. Get off my land!’
The dog, described as being similar to a German shepherd, ran away, but returned and jumped on Mrs MacKay’s back before running away again.
It then then ran downhill towards Wilma and Thomas Torrance.
The wolfdog bit Mrs Torrance on the body and Mr Torrance on the leg. Edmonstone shouted orders at the dog to ‘stand down.’
However, he made no attempt to put the dog on a leash.
The witnesses warned the accused that that they were going to report the matter to the police.
Ms Rowan said the witnesses had had not received significant injuries. The bites, she added, did not break the skin. Mr MacKay’s clothing had been ripped by the dog.
Edmonstone’s agent John Mulholland explained that the land was private, but Edmonstone and his family allowed public access through it to the West Highland Way.
The dog hadn’t behaved in that way before and as a result the accused asked Stirling Council’s dog warden to look at the animal.
The pedigree dog had “behaved perfectly appropriately” with the warden, added Mr Mulholland.
The six-month-old puppy had cost Edmonstone £2000 and had been neutered.
He decided to return the dog to its breeder, in March 2017 when the offences came to light.
Sundance had been with the accused while he ran a temporary hut on the West Highland Way providing refreshments to walkers.
Hundreds of walkers, the solicitor said, had passed the hut and petted the dog, expressing delight in the visitors’ book.
However, matters had “somewhat overtaken” Edmonstone with the conviction for the £60,000 benefit fraud.
When released Mr Mulholland said Edmonstone expected to return to running a bed and breakfast business at his home.
Sheriff William Gilchrist fined him £500 with two months to pay. However, he refused a Crown motion seeking an order banning him from keeping dogs.
It could not be justified as it was only one incident, the sheriff explained.