COURT ROUND-UP: Black Isle Show incident; drug-driver found in ditch; sheriff’s ‘last chance’ warning; Dingwall man had cocaine

OUR court reporter was kept busy covering a variety of cases from Ross-shire in the sheriff court over the past week.

Man made ‘flimsy’ fence topple on people at Black Isle Show

Police at the Black Isle Show this year saw a man shaking fencing at the event which then fell on top of several people.

John Williamson (59), from Countess Park, Slackbuie was arrested by police but while he was being searched, Inverness Sheriff Court heard he made racist remarks.

Fiscal depute Sophie Marshall told Sheriff Gary Aitken that Williamson was commenting on how many Asian shopkeepers he had encountered and complaining about migrants arriving in the UK by boat.

When charged with racially aggravated abusive behaviour, Williamson said to officers: "It's true."

Williamson represented himself and told the sheriff that he was "embarrassed. I didn't realise the fence was so flimsy and it would come down."

No-one was hurt in the incident.

Williamson was fined £420.

Black Isle drug-driver found unresponsive in car in ditch

A Black Isle man was caught by police driving with cannabis in his system twice in less than a week last year.

James Mee, of Brae Terrace, Munlochy was first stopped by police on March 7 on the A9 at North Kessock and a saliva test proved positive for the drug.

Inverness Sheriff Court also heard that on March 10 police were called to check on an unresponsive man in a car in a ditch on an unclassified road near North Kessock.

Once more, the 40-year-old tested positive for cannabis. On each occasion, his reading was 7mcgs of the drug when the legal driving limit is 2mcgs.

Defending, Laura-Jane McFarlane told Sheriff Gary Aitken: "He was going through a difficult time. His mother had recently passed away and he was using cannabis to cope with that."

Sheriff Aitken told Mee that he wanted a background report and deferred sentence until December 5. Mee was banned from driving in the interim.

‘You get one chance and one chance only, sheriff tells uncooperative drink-driver

A 26-year-old Ross-shire man was told he was "on staggeringly thin ice" by a sheriff after being arrested for failing to obey court orders and turn up for a previous social work background report.

Sheriff Gary Aitken however released Corrin MacPhee of Westways, Muir of Ord for another appointment with the Criminal Justice team with a warning: "You get one chance and one chance only. If you don't turn up for reports you will go inside to get them done."

MacPhee was arrested on warrant and appeared from custody at Inverness Sheriff Court. He had previously admitted driving on Craig Road, Dingwall on July 28, 2023 with over three times the legal limit of alcohol in his system.

His reading was 68mcgs when the maximum is 22mcgs. He also pleaded guilty to driving with no insurance.

Sentence had been deferred for the report but it was not available due to his non cooperation. MacPhee had been charged with dangerous driving on the A835 at Conon Bridge, committed three days earlier on July 25.

But when he appeared before Sheriff Aitken, his solicitor, Graham Mann, told the court that his client would plead guilty to the lesser charge of careless driving.

The court heard he had carried out an unsafe overtake in the face of oncoming traffic after failing to keep a safe distance, had to brake sharply to avoid a collision and the oncoming traffic had to slow down to prevent an accident.

Sentence was again deferred until December 12 for the report.

Dingwall man learns fate after being caught with cocaine

Police who had cause to pull over a car near Conon Bridge saw one of the occupants try and hide something as he got out of the vehicle.

They conducted a search on October 18, 2023 and found a small bag of cocaine.
Dylan Rowlands of Balnabeen Drive, Dingwall admitted at Inverness Sheriff Court possessing a Class A drug and was fined £290.

But as he was in custody for another matter, defence solicitor Natalie Paterson asked Sheriff Eilidh Macdonald for no time to pay and Rowlands was ordered to serve 14 days in prison.