News / Teenager sentenced
A TEENAGER who has spent the past month in custody after assaulting his partner has been ordered to go and live in Aberdeen for six months.
Eighteen year old Andrew Murray, of Sandveien, Lerwick, was placed under social work supervision for a year when he was sentenced at Lerwick Sheriff Court on Thursday.
During that time he must not be in his girlfriend’s company without good reason. To help ensure the pair stay apart, he told Murray to go and live with his father on the Scottish mainland over the winter.
Having been denied bail previously, Murray had been in jail since he was arrested in relation to an incident on 13 September.
Earlier this month he admitted seizing his partner by the hair, pulling her to the ground and repeatedly punching her on the head to her injury. He also caused a disturbance by shouting, swearing and repeatedly banging on doors and windows at the same location that day.
Defence agent Chris Dowle said Murray was “very sorry and regrets it deeply”, describing it as the latest of a number of episodes in a “very troubled and unhappy relationship”.
Dowle said his client had not enjoyed his month-long stretch behind bars, to which Sheriff Mann responded: “You’ve had a taste of custody and in a way I’m glad you didn’t enjoy it, because this may make you think twice before committing offences.”
The sheriff told Murray the court took a “dim view” of his behaviour “especially when you’ve been warned time after time”.
While it was not his place to tell Murray who to be in a relationship with, “you’ve got to be sensible enough to realise that there are some relationships that are no-go areas”.
Sheriff Mann added it was “about time you gave yourself a break”, to which Murray responded that he fully intended to.
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