Court / Court round-up 19 February
Content warning: This story contains details of sexual abuse. If you have been affected by these issues, help is available.
A MAN who exposed himself to a woman staying in his house has been placed on the sex offenders register.
Daniel Watson, whose address was given as Buxton in Derbyshire, admitted exposing his genitals to the woman in the Whiteness bedroom she was sleeping in on 21 September 2025.
Watson, 49, repeatedly apologised to the woman after she raised the alarm about the incident to Watson’s former partner – who lived with him at the time.
Despite his apologies, Watson later told police he did not think the incident was “as bad as it was made out”.
Watson walked into a bedroom being used by the complainer in the middle of the night, while naked from the waist down.
She told him “in no uncertain terms” to leave, and shouted at him before he took any action.
The complainer was “extremely scared” and went through to her cousin’s room in tears. Watson had already messaged her to apologise by this point.
The woman left Shetland the next day, with Watson again messaging her that he “couldn’t work out why I thought that was an okay thing to do”.
But when interviewed by police, Watson “didn’t seem to acknowledge or accept the seriousness” of his offending.
Defence agent Tommy Allan decided to reserve mitigation until a criminal justice social work report could be prepared.
Sheriff Philip Mann made Watson subject to sexual offender notification requirements. Watson will be sentenced on 18 March.
A LERWICK man behind a taxi office assault almost two years ago has been fined.
Aiden McLeod, from Gilbertson Road, seized hold of one man by the neck and threatened him with a wine bottle on 21 July 2024, before challenging two people to a fight.
McLeod’s sentencing had previously been deferred, and defence agent Tommy Allan said he had “managed to turn his life around” since the incident.
Allan said that while this had been “typical behaviour” from McLeod at the time, he since had an “excellent” report from social work and good references from his work to present to the court.
He admitted, however, that the offences were “quite serious”.
Sheriff Philip Mann agreed that McLeod had “done really well”, adding it was “really refreshing” to see the progress he had made since this incident.
“Not everybody pulls themselves together in the way you have,” he told McLeod.
However the sheriff said he could not just ignore the offences, and fined McLeod £900.
A MAN from Fife who admitted being concerned in the supply of heroin will be sentenced at Lerwick Sheriff Court next month.
Steven Davis, from Lumphinnans, admitted being concerned in the supply of a class A drug on 26 and 27 April last year at the NorthLink ferry terminals in both Aberdeen and Lerwick.
His co-accused, Natasha Leitch, had her not guilty plea accepted.
Sheriff Philip Mann deferred sentence on the 42-year-old Davis for the preparation of a criminal justice social work report, and for him to attend court in person.
Davis will return for sentencing on 18 March.
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