Court / Court round-up 12 February
AN UNST man who said he “should not even be in this court” was put right by Sheriff Ian Cruickshank on Wednesday.
William Ratter, also known as Ballard, has been accused of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner on 23 July 2023 on roads in Unst to a number of people.
Ratter is alleged to have driven recklessly and at “grossly excessive speed” on the Springbank Road in Baltasound, and on the A968 public road between Baltasound and Haroldswick.
The 55-year-old has denied the charge.
He was represented by solicitor Tommy Allan, who told the court his client wished to speak after Allan had lodged his not guilty plea.
Ratter said a person should only be charged with traffic offences within six months of the incident, and that he had been given notice more than eight months after the alleged incident.
“I should not even be in this court,” he said.
But Sheriff Cruickshank said Ratter had not been charged with a traffic offence – but instead a charge of behaving in a “threatening or abusive manner”.
There was a 12-month limit for people to be charged under that offence since the incident, the sheriff explained.
Ratter responded to say that was a “bit of nonsense”.
Sheriff Cruickshank told Ratter that, as far as he was concerned, he had “corrected your misjudgement”.
Ratter is due to stand trial on Thursday 20 February.
A DENTAL hygienist who “misjudged” how drunk he was after mixing alcohol and cough medicine has been banned from driving.
Naman Bhushan also admitted to failing to co-operate with a preliminary breath test in the early hours of 11 January this year.
Bhushan “panicked” when stopped by police just after midnight and “pretended he couldn’t blow” into the breathalyser.
The 29-year-old, from Dundee and who was working in the isles on a locum basis, gave a series of “futile” blows when asked to by police, procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie said.
Mackenzie said it was clear to officers that Bhushan had “ample breath” to blow into the breathalyser.
Bhushan was stopped by police after driving on Holmsgarth Road, North Road and Burgh Road in Lerwick.
After failing to provide a specimen during the initial breathalyser test he was arrested and taken to Lerwick police station.
There he “co-operated fully”, giving a reading of 45 microgrammes of alcohol in 100ml of breath – twice the legal limit of 22 microgrammes.
Defence agent Tommy Allan said Bhushan had drunk a “small amount of alcohol” on the night in question, but had also taken cough medicine at the same time.
He “misjudged” the effect this would have, and “panicked” when he was stopped by police.
The incident could have “serious consequences” for Bhushan’s career, Allan said, and would be reported to his professional body.
Sheriff Ian Cruickshank fined Bhushan £500 for the charge of drink-driving and banned him from driving for 12 months.
He can reduce this ban by three months if he completes the drink-driving rehabilitation course.
Bhushan was also fined £400 for failing to co-operate with the preliminary breathalyser test, taking his total financial penalty to £900.
A TWENTY five year old who left a man with “substantial swelling” to his face after an attack has been placed under supervision for 15 months.
Jay Lee McGill, from Lerwick’s Tarland, assaulted the man along with two others in an address on Burgh Road on 29 May 2024.
McGill admitted the attack, which saw him pin the man to a bed and repeatedly kick his body and punch his head.
Sentencing had been deferred for background reports to be prepared, with defence agent Tommy Allan saying a “positive” report had been compiled by social workers.
He admitted that this had been a “serious matter”.
Procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie told the court previously it was a “slightly unusual situation”, with a separate assault taking place shortly before this incident.
This did not involve McGill, but one of the men in question had been in possession of a knife that they had left behind.
“A short while later all three returned to retrieve the knife,” Mackenzie told the court.
“During that the accused and one of the males assaulted the complainer, pushing him around, pinning him on to a bed.”
The man tried to cover his face but the three men were punching him, and kicking him on the body.
The complainer sustained “substantial swelling” the left side of his face, as well as a small cut on his left lower cheek, a cut on his forearm and a bump on the back of his head.
Allan said it was “quite clear” that McGill had been “caught up in something” on the night in question.
And he said the background report had suggested supervision would be an appropriate sentence, which McGill was willing to co-operate with.
Sheriff Ian Cruickshank placed McGill under supervision for 15 months and ordered him to carry out 140 hours of unpaid work within the next 12 months.
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