Court / Round-up from Lerwick Sheriff Court

TWO MEN admitted similar but unrelated charges of stealing spirits from supermarkets at Lerwick Sheriff Court on Wednesday.

Rafel Wrzos admitted stealing a bottle of spirits from the Lerwick Co-op on each of 6 and 7 April this year. The offences were committed whilst he was on bail.

It was straightforward shop lifting, said procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie, and Wrzos had been seen on CCTV.

Defence agent Tommy Allan said that his client had been in Shetland nine years and it had been during a period of unemployment that his life had taken a downturn and he had been drinking heavily.

The 33-year-old, of Holmsgarth Brae, had no recollection of the events but had since given up drinking and was now working as a chef, said Allan.

Sheriff Ian Cruickshank fined Wrzos £75 for each theft and ordered him to pay compensation of £38 for the two bottles of spirits, for a total of £188 in penalties.

Gary Latham, of Ladies Drive, admitted stealing a bottle of spirits from the Co-op on 28 April this year and stealing a bottle of spirits from Tesco the following evening, though on this occasion staff intervened and prevented the theft.

Latham, 43, told the court he had been in a “bad place at the time” and had been banned from both stores “indefinitely” as far as he knew.

Sheriff Ian Cruickshank fined him £50 for each theft and ordered him to pay £46 compensation to the Co-op, for total penalties of £146.

A MAN has been fined after admitting behaving in a threatening and abusive manner at a house in Mossbank.

Lerwick Sheriff Court heard on Wednesday that Christopher Noble lost his temper after discussing separation with his ex-partner at their shared house on 9 July.

The 26-year old lashed out and destroyed a small table when the subject of her contact with a new man was raised. He also threatened to “kill” the man and “slash his throat”, according to procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie.

When his ex-partner fled outside, he flung pieces of the table into the garden, though not aimed at the woman, and continued shouting, swearing and making threats.

Tommy Allan, defending, said that the pair now had a “permanent separation” and Noble accepted the relationship was at an end. Noble, he said, had lost contact with his mental health team.

He had been drinking and the discussion he had with his partner was an “immensely sensitive” one. “He did not react in an appropriate way at all,” said Allan.

Sheriff Ian Cruickshank said that Noble had been admonished for a similar offence in 2016 after being of good behaviour for six months. This time he fined him £100 for the offence, which was aggravated by abuse of an ex-partner, and ordered him to pay £50 in damages.