Court / Court round-up 17 December

Shetland News @shetnews

17 December 2025 16:45

A THIRTY-six year old man from Shetland has been charged with causing severe injury and danger to life.

Rory Tulloch appeared from private at Lerwick Sheriff Court on Wednesday and made no plea.

He was committed for further examination and released on bail.

No date was given for his next appearance.

A MAN who drunkenly punched a worker at Mareel has been fined.

Lewis Harkness, 24, admitted assaulting the woman on 16 August 2025 before an event at the arts venue.

The court heard Harkness, from Bressay, had arrived just before 11pm and was “clearly intoxicated”.

He approached the bar worker and made a comment about her T-shirt, but procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie said when she looked down Harkness, 24, was clenching his fist.

“Without any reason at all, he’s punched her in the face,” Mackenzie said.

The worker was struck in the jaw and nose, causing her a “great deal of shock”.

Defence agent Tommy Allan said that it was “clearly not his finest hour”, adding his client was attempting a joke where in “ordinary circumstances he would have tapped her on the face”.

Harkness was “extremely sorry for it”, and had made attempts to apologise. He had also offered to pay compensation to his victim.

Sheriff Ian Cruickshank fined Harkness £500 and ordered him to pay his victim £200 in compensation.

A MAN who sent a “grossly offensive” text message prejudiced against a family member’s sexual orientation has been fined.

Gordon More, 42, turned up at a family gathering on Boxing Day last year and behaved in a threatening or abusive manner, including shouting, swearing and banging on doors and windows.

The court heard this was part of a lengthy family dispute, and had been brought on after More’s teenage children had attended a party at the North Lochside address.

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Defence agent Tommy Allan said the two had both consumed alcohol and More, from Sandwick, “couldn’t contain himself” from going over to question what had happened.

After banging on doors and windows he was told the police would be called, and More appeared to leave before sending an offensive text message to his mother which referenced the sexual orientation of a family member.

Allan admitted his client had “said somethings he is not proud of”.

More was fined £600.

A MAN who broke a friend’s leg while driving out of a busy Lerwick car park has been banned from driving for a year.

Hylton Henry, from Aith, accidentally hit a motorcycle when leaving JB’s Autostore car park on 28 July this year.

The 62-year old admitted causing serious injury through driving without due care and attention, and failing to make proper observations.

The motorcyclist suffered “fairly significant injury” in the accident, procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie said, suffering fractures to his foot and fibula.

He may never fully recover from his injuries, the fiscal added.

Defence agent Tommy Allan said Henry had been “deeply shocked and shaken up by the accident”, with his victim a man that he had gone to school with and known for years.

Henry had failed to see the motorbike because a van had pulled out at the same time, Allan added.

Sheriff Ian Cruickshank fined Henry £300, and imposed a minimum term 12 month driving ban.

DRIVING to a work emergency after a “recreational smoke” lead to a driving ban for one Bixter man.

Peter Lovie, 32, was stopped by police in the early hours of 23 February this year due to the manner of his driving and failed a roadside drug screening test.

Police took a blood sample from him 90 minutes later and found him to be six times over the limit for Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol – known simply as THC – which is a main compound in cannabis.

Lovie returned a sample of 12 microgrammes in one litre of blood, with the legal limit being two microgrammes.

Defence agent Gregor Kelly said Lovie had not expected to be called back to work, but had phoned to deal with an emergency.

Lovie “unfortunately took the decision to drive”, with police stopping him at around 1.15am after being concerned by the manner of his driving.

Sheriff Ian Cruickshank fined Lovie £600, and banned him from driving for 12 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.