Inverness father and Dingwall son avoid jail after series of offences
A father and son were spared jail at Inverness Sheriff Court where they were appearing for sentence on several offences including a serious assault on a man and terrorising two women and driving a vehicle toward their home.
Former Royal Navy man, 51-year-old David Stewart, of Macdonald Court, Inverness stood in the dock before Sheriff Gary Aitken while his 20-year-old son Connor, of Tulloch Square, Dingwall was on a video link having been remanded in custody.
The court heard criticism of Stewart senior for not providing a role model for Connor and he was told by the sheriff to "reflect on your past behaviour and the effect it has had on other people".
Both were placed on community payback orders as an alternative to custody with two years of social work supervision, and a three-year non-harassment order to protect their victims. Connor Stewart also has to complete a total of 300 hours’ unpaid work while his dad was sentenced to 240 hours.
In addition, David Stewart was banned from driving for 16 months for motoring offences.
Fiscal depute Pauline Gair told Sheriff Aitken that the first incident took place in Ardness Place, Inverness on July 11, 2023.
She said: “At 4.10pm, two women were in the living room and then heard loud banging outside and saw Stewart along with his co-accused.
“Stewart was seen banging the women’s vehicle and making threats.”
On July 17 of the same year, Connor Stewart walked into the home of a man in David Munro Place, where he struck him with a mallet and repeatedly punched him on the head and body.
His victim tried to defend himself with a kayak oar.
This incident was captured on CCTV and Ms Gair said that the householder had “swelling on his forehead like an egg and several scratches on both sides of his face”.
She added: “He had a 4cm laceration at the left side of his head, which required to be glued, alongside a scratch across his lower back which was 30cm long and 10 small puncture marks to his legs.”
On July 18, Stewart was taken to Burnett Road Police Station and then Raigmore Hospital in Inverness due to another reason.
The court heard he was demanding a cigarette before he spat on two police officers.
Stewart pleaded guilty to threatening and abusive behaviour, assault to severe injury, possession of an offensive weapon and assault of police officers.
The court heard that Stewart was spotted outside the woman’s address in Ardness Place, Inverness, by her daughter, before he climbed into a van and drove towards the house.
At that hearing, fiscal depute Emily Hood told Sheriff Sara Matheson that the mother and daughter called the police and were advised to lock the doors.
Ms Hood said the accused “rammed” the daughter’s vehicle, also a van, before “driving at speed at the perimeter of the house”.
Stewart then stepped out of the vehicle, picked up a plank of wood and shouted and screamed while hitting the daughter’s vehicle. A neighbour called the police and when officers turned up, they found him extremely irate and a police dog had to be deployed.
The court was told Stewart was heard saying: "I will kill her at some point." He was arrested but refused to give police a breath specimen. He previously admitted driving a van dangerously, maliciously striking another van with a plank of wood, behaving in a threatening or abusive manner, failing to co-operate with the breath test, assault and having an offensive weapon.
Connor Stewart's solicitor advocate Shahid Latif told the court that his client had made "significant changes which had impressed the social work author of the report”.
"He has distanced himself from negative influences and distancing himself from his father has not been easy for him,” he added. “He was an impressionable young man and there was a lack of role models as he was growing up.
"He is a product of his environment and he can and is willing to change his life around. The pervading factor is the influence of others who should have been nurturing him but unfortunately let him down."
Mr Latif had previously submitted a letter to the sheriff who commented on how it had helped him reach the decision to impose a community-based disposal.
"Mr Latif and you assure me that the penny has dropped and you want to turn your back on the past,” Sheriff Aitken said. “I will give you that opportunity."
But he warned the young man he would go straight to custody if he didn't take his chance.
The father's lawyer, David Patterson, told the court that his client was a victim of crime himself which "had lasting medical consequences for him”.
He added: "It was a pretty dark period for him, he had started drinking in vast quantities and consuming substances. He has expressed genuine remorse."
