Court / Banned Ollaberry driver avoids prison term
A MAN from Ollaberry who drove while disqualified and forced an oncoming vehicle onto the roadside verge to avoid collision has been banned from driving for 12 months.
Liam Johnson, of Runnadale, was also put under supervision for 15 months and told to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work over the next 12 months when he appeared at Lerwick Sheriff Court on Wednesday morning.
Johnson had previously pledead guilty to a total of four motoring charges, including driving without insurance and with no MOT, all committed on the single track A970 near the Nortenergy premises at Ollaberry in the morning of 2 May.
Referring to a social enquiry report prepared for Wednesday’s hearing, defence solicitor Tommy Allan told the court that his client had made real progress and asked for Johnson to be spared jail.
Sentencing the 32-year-old, sheriff Ian Cruickshank told Johnson that the community payback order he imposed on him was a direct alternative to a custodial sentence.
A first review of the order will take place in three months.
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:
Victim Support Shetland
Phone: 01595744524 or 0800 1601985
Web: https://victimsupport.scot/locations/victim-support-shetland/
Email: VictimSupportHighlandsIslands@victimsupportsco.org.uk
For anyone affected by crime & harm seeking a restorative approach:
Space2face
Phone: 07564 832467
Web: https://www.space2face.org
Email: info@space2face.org
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
