Court / Sheriff loses patience with udal law campaigners
TWO self-styled campaigners who question the authority of the court system in Shetland have been remanded in custody pending further hearings.
Stuart Hill will spend the next five days behind bars until a hearing on Monday to establish whether he has been in contempt of court.
This is after he admitted that he was the author of a 23-page document – sent to the court and published on his website – which alleged that Sheriff Ian Cruickshank was in contempt of court himself during a hearing last month.
Ordered into the dock on Wednesday morning, Hill, of Cunningsburgh, admitted that he had secretly recorded proceedings on 12 July and published these verbatim in said document.
A visibly upset and angry Sheriff Cruickshank told Hill that he had run out of patience in dealing with his antics and will not allow him to challenge his integrity and to affront the court’s authority.
The 80-year-old has a long history of challenging the legal system in pursuit of his view that Scottish courts have no jurisdiction over matters in Shetland.
Hill was present in court supporting Sandra Irvine, of Boddam, who denies shouting at swearing and two people on roads near her home on 28 November last year.
Instead, both claim that Irvine is standing up to protect the udal right on her property.
A trial had been set for next week pending a psychiatric assessment, which was ordered by the court last month to assess whether the 60-year-old is fit to stand trial.
When called to take her place in the dock it became clear that Irvine had not followed the court’s order to have a mental assessment carried out.
A further appointment for 9 August was made, to which Irvine responded by saying that she would not accept the bail conditions.
Following several warnings not to follow Hill into the police cells, the sheriff revoked bail and remanded her in custody “for the purpose of a mental health assessment”.
She is now due to appear in court again tomorrow (Thursday) for the medical assessment.
Meanwhile, Hill’s case will be passed onto sheriff principal for the Sheriffdom of Grampian, Highland & Islands, Derek Pyle, to decide who will hear the attempted contempt of court case on 7 August.
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