Court / Court round up – 22 March 2023

A TEENAGER from Vidlin has been fined £740 after admitting failing to report an accident and wasting officers’ time by making a false statement to police.

Nathan Grains, of Skelberry, also had his driving licence endorsed with five penalty points.

Lerwick Sheriff Court heard on Wednesday how the 18-year-old had taken his car to drive to a neighbour unsupervised while only holding a provisional driving licence on 2 September last year.

On his way home he came off the B9071 Vidlin to Skelberry road and damaged a roadside fence – but managed to drive his vehicle home.

The following morning when he could not explain the state his car was in, he provided a false statement to police claiming the vehicle had been taken without consent.

Procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie said two CID officers were carrying out “full extensive enquiries” and were effectively “wasting their time” when it became increasingly clear that Grains’ statements to police were inconsistent. He finally admitted that it was himself who had been driving.

Defence agent Tommy Allan said told the court that the episode had been a “learning experience” for his young client.

OVERTAKING two vehicles into the face of oncoming traffic cost a Lerwick woman £500 in fines and four penalty points.

Robynn Mary Ross, with an address at Germagaet, admitted a charge of driving without due care and attention when her case called at Lerwick Sheriff Court on Wednesday.

The court heard how road users had to take evasive action on the A970 on the Tingwall Straight on 7 January this year when the 28-year old overtook two vehicles while an HGV was approaching.

Defence agent Tommy Allan said his client accepted that this was a misjudgement on her part.

He said Ross had been in a hurry as she was trying to catch a ferry, and added that the driving licence is “absolutely crucial” to her. Ross was not in court on Wednesday.

THE QUESTION to what extent the inappropriate behaviour of a single man towards three females, two of whom just 15 years old, was sexually significant enough for him to be added to the sex offenders register was discussed at some length at Lerwick Sheriff Court on Wednesday.

The court heard how Alan Page approached the three complainers in Lerwick town centre just before midnight on the 23 December in a sexually suggestive manner.

The 40-year-old salmon farmer with an address of Russell Crescent, Lerwick, admitted a charge of directing a sexually suggestive gesture at the three females and thereafter positioning himself in close proximity to one of the 15-year olds and deliberately moving his groin area in a sexually explicit way.

Procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie said the Crown was clear in its assessment that Page’s behaviour was “wholly and exclusively sexual”.

Defence agent Tommy Allan said he accepted that there was “a sexual aspect to it” but argued that this was a “question of proportion” and questioned whether the sexual aspect of his client’s conduct was “significant”.

He said Page had no recollection of the incident as it had been the last working day before Christmas and he “clearly had a lot of drink”.

And he suggested that this was a case of a drunken man stumbling out of a bar, and at the moment he was made aware that his behaviour was inappropriate he left and moved on.

Sheriff Ian Cruickshank agreed with Allan that consideration of whether Page will be made subject to sex offenders’ notification requirements could be postponed until 19 April to allow time for a criminal justice social work report to be prepared.