Court / Court round-up 5 January 2022

A MAN in his seventies who took an unsolicited photo of a teenage girl in a Lerwick supermarket will be sentenced next month. 

Brian Laing, 73, of the town’s Staneyhill, admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by taking a photo of the 16 year old without her consent as she shopped in Tesco’s South Road store with her grandmother.

He admitted following her and her grandmother and persistently staring at them.

Procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie said Laing had taken a photo of the teenager’s bottom, which had caused her a “significant degree of distress”.

After hearing the sound of a photo being taken she informed her grandmother and began to cry. Both could see the accused zooming in on the image before proceeding to follow them around the shop staring at them.

The fiscal said store CCTV footage clearly showed Laing taking a photo of the teenager’s bottom.

He had denied taking the photo and claimed he had his phone out because it contained his shopping list.

Mackenzie said the crown’s position was that the crime involved a “significant sexual element” and the photo seemed to have been “taken and retained for that purpose”.

Defence agent Tommy Allan said his client wished to apologise for his actions.

Sheriff Ian Cruickshank deferred sentence until 7 February while a criminal justice social work report is prepared.

A MAN who admitted making threats towards staff at a Lerwick convenience shop has been ordered to carry out 80 hours of unpaid work.

Thirty eight year old Thomas Hall, of Hill Grind, Lerwick, pleaded guilty to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by shouting, swearing and making threatening comments to staff at Sound Service Station on 29 August last year.

Lerwick Sheriff Court heard last month that Hall had become angry when questioned over a drink he was consuming, and when he didn’t have enough money to pay for items.

Defence agent Tommy Allan said his client had “a number of difficult aspects to his upbringing” but accepted full responsibility for the offence.

Sheriff Ian Cruickshank imposed a community payback order with the unpaid hours to be completed within six months.