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Fine for Brora man who broke court curfew


By Court Reporter

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A SHERIFF has warned a Brora man that he is at risk of losing his job and landing in jail if he continues with his offending behaviour.

Sheriff Gary Aitken told Steven Sutherland, Fascally Cottages, that his patience with him was “wearing out”.

Sutherland appeared at Tain Sheriff Court today, having previously admitted two charges of breaching a court curfew. Sentence had been deferred for a background report

The case against Sutherland called at Tain Sheriff Court.
The case against Sutherland called at Tain Sheriff Court.

The court heard that the 28-year-old was granted bail at Inverness Sheriff Court on April 6, 2021, with the condition that he stayed at home between 8.30pm and 5.30am at the weekend – on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

But procurator fiscal depute Naomi Duffy-Welsh said that when police called at Sutherland’s address on two occasions – Sunday, September 11, and Sunday, October 23 – to check he was adhering to the bail conditions, there was no sign of him in the property.

Defence agent Rory Gowans described his client as a civil engineer “working all over the north of Scotland”.

He said when police made the 5am call on September 11, Sutherland had not been at home because he was in custody in Caithness in relation to another matter.

And the lawyer said that on October 23, Sutherland had been in the house but had not gone to the door when officers knocked.

Mr Gowans said Sutherland had made an early admission of guilt.

Sheriff Aitken fined Sutherland £400 on each charge along with a £40 victim surcharge, amounting to a total of £840.

Passing sentence, he told Sutherland: “At some point very soon you are either going to do something that is too serious to pay your way out of or my patience will wear out.

You effectively have a choice - knuckle down, behave yourself and keep your very good job or reach a point where you lose it.

“If I put you on a community payback order, you will lose your job.

Keep offending and we may simply pass the intermediate step and jail you.

“If I were you I would think hard about what I was doing and try to hand on to the decent job you have. Don’t throw it away."


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