Court / Court round-up 6 August 2025

A LERWICK man found growing cannabis in his home has been put under supervision for 18 months and ordered to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work.

Police discovered 15 plants in varying stages of growth in 40-year-old Barry Dutton’s home in Bank Lane during a search on 4 February.

Lerwick Sheriff Court previously heard that police also found around 207g of dead leaves, with a potential street value of £1,200.

Dutton had admitted producing the class B drug at his home during a court hearing in early July.

Appearing at court for sentencing on Wednesday morning, defence solicitor Tommy Allan asked Sheriff Ian Cruickshank to adopt recommendations made in a criminal justice social work report.

The sheriff did so and imposed the community payback order consisting of supervision and unpaid work as a direct alternative to a custodial sentence.

A YOUNG man from Lerwick who behaved aggressively towards police officers in the early hours of 27 July has had sentence deferred until 3 September.

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Nathan McAlpine, of Mounthooly Place, pleaded guilty to three charges when he appeared at Lerwick Sheriff Court on Wednesday, including threatening or abusive behaviour and assaulting a police sergeant.

Procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie said police offers out on patrol had come across a gathering on Harbour Street just after 3am on the Sunday morning.

While most people moved on, McAlpine approached the officers for unknown reasons and called them “a bundle of f***ing weirdos”.

As things escalated the inevitable happened and the 21-year-old was arrested.

While in the cell compartment of the police van, McAlpine repeatedly spat and was kicking and punching the cell walls, injuring himself in the process.

The court that he also bit one of the police officers in the arm at the police station, “breaking the skin”.

Defences solicitor Tommy Allan said he was not in a position to argue with the crown’s account of events.

Sheriff Ian Cruickshank deferred sentence until 3 September for a criminal justice social work report and restriction of liberty assessment.

A DUNDEE man who failed to give details of a person who could have driven and crashed his car in the city was fined £500 at Lerwick Sheriff Court on Wednesday.

Defence solicitor Tommy Allan told the court that his client, Connor Ferguson, of Caird Avenue, had left his car and keys with people in Dundee while he was in Shetland.

His car was then involved in a road traffic accident at the city’s Marryat Street on 26 April.

When contacted on 8 May by local police needing to establish who had driven the vehicle at the time, the 31-year-old declined to cooperate as he wanted to speak to his friends first.

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However, “that is not the law”, Allan said.

Sheriff Ian Cruickshank also imposed six penalty points on Ferguson’s driving licence.

A WOMAN from Mossbank who caused a road traffic accident at the Tagon Shop in Voe has been fined £400.

Shannon Martin admitted a case of careless driving at Lerwick Sheriff Court on Wednesday.

The 29-year old caused a collision with another vehicle when she pulled out from the roadside verge opposite the shop and collided with an approaching vehicle on the afternoon of 8 April.

The driver of the other vehicle sustained minor injuries.

Defence solicitor Tommy Allan said there was no history of bad driving, and this was simply a case of the woman not seeing the other car approaching.