Court / Reminder to have valid car insurance after man fined and disqualified

THE IMPORTANCE of drivers having valid insurance before taking to the road was spelled out at Lerwick Sheriff Court on Thursday after a man was fined and disqualified.

Liam Johnson, of Ollaberry, admitted driving with no licence or insurance on the A970 at Tingwall on 15 June last year.

Due to the 32-year-old’s previous convictions, Johnson was fined £630 for the insurance charge and was disqualified from holding or obtaining a licence for a year.

Sheriff Ian Cruickshank said it is “very important” to ensure that everybody has insurance in place prior to driving a vehicle.

He said it was equally important for people to also ensure they have the authority to drive a vehicle.

Sheriff Cruickshank said it was the fifth time since 2007 that Johnson had faced charges of driving with no insurance.

But defence agent Tommy Allan insisted that this time around his client had looked into sorting the matter out and believed everything was in place for him to legally drive that day.

MEANWHILE a thirty nine year old man who admitted committing sexual assaults against two teenagers, one aged under 16 at the time, has to wait a little longer before being sentenced.

John Masterman, of Leaside, Mossbank, was remanded in custody on 3 March ahead of sentencing after he admitted intentionally or recklessly touching the two girls.

One of the offences, committed against a female teenager who he worked with at a Lerwick restaurant, took place between 1 and 31 August 2018.

The second saw Masterman sexually assault a girl aged under 16 in her family home on various occasions between 1 January and 22 June 2021.

But at Lerwick Sheriff Court on Wednesday Sheriff Ian Cruickshank said his decision to remand ahead of sentencing Masterman had successfully been appealed by the accused.

While he said he respected the decision, Sheriff Cruickshank said this left him in an “invidious” position with regards to sentencing and asked for arrangements to be made for a stand-in sheriff to take his place.

As a result sentence was further deferred until 14 April.