The Bop Shop - Boppapalooza - 24 May 2025
Wednesday 21 May 2025
 9.5°C   N Fresh Breeze
Ocean Kinetics - The Engineering Experts

Court / Long jail term for motoring and firearms offences

A FORTY four year old man who used to work as a farm manager on Fetlar was jailed for 32 months after admitting a string of motoring offences as well as possession of firearms when he appeared at Lerwick Sheriff Court on Tuesday afternoon.

Matthew John Whiles, whose address was given as Grampian Prison, was also disqualified from driving for eight years and told he had to sit the extended test of competency if he wanted to drive again.

Whiles, who has a substantial criminal record and had been jailed for ten years at Truro Crown Court for robbery in July 2007, pled guilty to eleven charges of driving while disqualified and driving without a licence in Fetlar, the Shetland mainland as well as in Orkney between 4 December 2017 and 26 November last year.

He also admitted having no car insurance on eleven occasions.

Whiles further pled guilty to a “fleeting” possession of two shotguns and ammunition when passing the weapons, kept in a case, from one person to another at Aithness, on Fetlar, on one occasion between 1 and 31 March 2018.

The court heard that Whiles had come to Fetlar in an attempt to make a fresh start after a number of lengthy custodial sentences.

Procurator fiscal said that while the possession of the weapons was just “momentary”, Whiles was nevertheless “clearly aware of his status and the prohibition on him” as a result of the earlier convictions.

Defence solicitor Tommy Allan said his client had been trying to make a fresh start and leave the life of serious crime behind him. But he accepted, Allan said, that he now had to pay the price for his stupidity.

Taking a 20 minutes break to consider his judgement, sheriff Ian Cruickshank said that he considers Whiles’ conduct as “open defiance over a lengthy and sustained period of time”.

Become a member of Shetland News

 

He jailed him for driving while disqualified and driving without a licence for a total of 26 months.

In relation to the firearms offence he added a jail term of six months and said given the ten-year sentence for robbery he would have thought the last thing Whiles wanted was to get in contact with were firearms.

 

If you have been affected by crime, help is available. Whether you are victim, a witness, or the accused, you can find independent, impartial, and confidential support in Shetland.

For victims of general crime:

For anyone affected by crime & harm seeking a restorative approach:

For anyone affected by gender-based violence, including domestic abuse, coercive control, stalking, sexual assault, and rape:

Shetland Women’s Aid

Phone: 01595 692070
Web: https://www.shetlandwa.org
Email: office@shetlandwa.org

The Compass Centre (Shetland Rape Crisis)

Phone: 01595 744402 or 08088 010302
Web: https://www.compasscentre.org
Email: contact@compasscentre.org

For anyone affected by substance use:

Shetland Recovery Hub and Community Network

Phone: 01595 744402
Web: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100075791869200
Email: recoveryhub@shetland.gov.uk

Shetland Alcohol & Drug Partnership

Phone: 01595 743060 or 07342 077789
Web: https://shetlandadp.org.uk
Email: shet.sadp@nhs.scot

Substance Use Recovery Service

Phone: 01595 743006

 
Advertisement 
Advertisement 
Advertisement 
Advertisement 
Advertisement 
Advertisement 

Newsletters

Subscribe to a selection of different newsletters from Shetland News, varying from breaking news delivered on the minute, to a weekly round-up of the opinion posts. All delivered straight to your inbox.

Daily Briefing Newsletter Weekly Highlights Newsletter Opinion Newsletter Life in Shetland Newsletter

JavaScript Required

We're sorry, but Shetland News isn't fully functional without JavaScript enabled.
Head over to the help page for instructions on how to enable JavaScript on your browser.

Your Privacy

We use cookies on our site to improve your experience.
By using our service, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

Browser is out-of-date

Shetland News isn't fully functional with this version of .
Head over to the help page for instructions on updating your browser for more security, improved speed and the best overall experience on this site.

Interested in Notifications?

Get notifications from Shetland News for important and breaking news.
You can unsubscribe at any time.

Audience Survey for Shetland News

Tell us what you think and win £100!

This survey is run by a UK charity, the Public Interest News Foundation. We exist to support independent news providers.

Your answers will power important research. We will share aggregated and anonymous answers with your news provider. And we will produce an overarching UK-wide report, which will be available on our website.

To enter the £100 prize draw, complete the survey and enter your email at the end.

Thank you in advance for your help!

Have you considered becoming a member of Shetland News?

If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please consider paying for membership and get the following features and services: -

  • Remove non-local ads;
  • Bookmark posts to read later;
  • Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
  • Hide membership messages;
  • Comments open for discussion.