Latest news with #PaulStewart
Press and Journal
11-05-2025
- Press and Journal
Weekend court roll – a dishonest former footballer and a crossbow confrontation
Our reporters have been sitting in courtrooms across the north and north-east this week and covered a wide variety of cases. A suspended Stonehaven church minister consumed cocaine before being caught drug-driving in the city centre of Aberdeen, The Press and Journal can reveal. Reverend Mark Lowey, a self-proclaimed 'transformed' ex-addict, was caught over the limit on George Street on September 28 last year. The father-of-three was nearly four times the legal limit for Benzoylecgonine, a by-product of cocaine. It can be detected in the bloodstream for up to 48 hours after the liver breaks down the Class A drug into the chemical compound. A man caught drug-driving on the A9 also had a hallucinogenic 'mushroom substance' with him. Paul Stewart's vehicle was stopped by police for a routine check, but officers soon suspected he was under the influence of cannabis. A roadside drug wipe confirmed their suspicion, and a subsequent search of his vehicle turned up an envelope containing a 'mushroom substance' later confirmed to be the class A psychedelic compound Psilocin. Stewart appeared from custody at Inverness Sheriff Court to admit drug-driving and possession of a class A drug. An Elgin man who branded his mum a 'witch' and urged her to die has been left devastated after being told she wants no further contact with him. Finley Wood appeared at Elgin Sheriff Court last week for sentencing after earlier admitting to behaving in a threatening and abusive manner when he drunkenly turned his anger towards his mother. Grampian Online reported that it included calling the widow a 'witch' and saying it was 'about time' she was dead. His mum, whom he had moved in with following the death of her husband, had to barricade herself in her bedroom to escape Wood's anger. An Elgin man threatened to starve his dog and feed a hotel worker to it in a series of incidents earlier this year. Robert Sutherland appeared at Elgin Sheriff Court last week for sentencing for the crimes but was told to go back to his doctor for further reports on the effects of his long-term drug use. The 38-year-old will now return to court once more in June. Fiscal depute Victoria Silver told the court on Thursday that Sutherland's barbs towards hotel workers at Elgin's Premier Inn and Travelodge included telling them there were snipers on the roof and he would have men come and take them to him. A man has appeared in court accused of starting the devastating Fairways Business Park fire in Inverness. Jack Ventham, 34, was arrested in Livingston at the weekend and appeared in private at Inverness Sheriff Court this week. It comes almost two months after a fire destroyed four units on March 9 this year. Police Scotland launched an investigation after a 'balaclava-clad' male was seen running away from the business park after a vehicle was 'deliberately' driven into one of the units. A man has been jailed after a struggle with police and security officers on Inverness' High Street. Scott Mackay was restrained following a disturbance involving another individual on the city centre thoroughfare. He spat in the face of one of the security staff and made repeated attempts to bite and headbutt. Mackay, 26, admitted charges of threatening or abusive behaviour, assault and resisting or obstructing officers during the incident last month. An 18-year-old from Lossiemouth has been banned from the roads for three years and will be made to resit his test after driving without insurance. Riley Russell, of St Margarets Crescent, was picked up by police last August when they spotted his black Ford Fiesta pulling into a car park on Dunbar Street. The roofer, who the court heard was not in danger of losing his career as a result of the conviction, will now need to sit an extended test before being able to get back behind the wheel. Fiscal depute Victoria Silver said officers had initially smelled cannabis coming from Russell, but after speaking to him, they discovered his lack of insurance policy. A Keith man who called police officers homophobic and offensive names has been told to complete unpaid work. Jamie Skene, 28, had been collared by constables on July 24 last year when they spotted him and a group of young people in an area of Batchen Street in Elgin. They noted a smell of cannabis, which Skene indicated was coming from him, but when they moved to begin detaining those in attendance, he launched into his tirade. Fiscal depute Victoria Silver said his ranting soon turned to physical aggression, as he kicked and headbutted a dividing screen in the rear of the police vehicle. A man who threatened to kill his former partner and attacked her in her Peterhead home will undergo background reports ahead of being sentenced, a court has decided. Kevin Morrison was due to stand trial, but decided to enter a late guilty plea before the sheriff took the bench. Peterhead Sheriff Court was told Morrison – who appeared during earlier hearings under the name Kevin Pringle – punched a hole in a bedroom door and, on another occasion, told his former partner he would put her 'six foot under'. Fiscal depute Anne Mann said Morrison, now of Academy Drive in Banff, and his victim started dating in 2018 after meeting in Kent. A man who was caught on camera as he confronted two workmen with a crossbow has been ordered to surrender his weapons. Marcin Sitarz wielded the weapon following an angry exchange with the workers, who had dug a ditch in front of his driveway and blocked his car in. Inverness Sheriff Court ordered the forfeiture of two crossbows seized by police at the scene after placing Sitarz on a community payback order. The court had previously heard how frightened contractors filmed handyman Sitarz with the weapon. Every day our reporters are sitting in courtrooms around the area and now you can get their stories sent directly to you, five days a week. A Lithuanian army conscript living in Inverurie will be using some of his new earnings to pay off a fine after drunkenly shouting and swearing in public in Peterhead. Eimaitas Aksomaitis, 19, had been drinking in his hometown in December last year before deciding to travel to Peterhead. But when he could not find the address he was invited to, he started shouting and swearing on the street. Fiscal depute Anne Mann said a witness saw Aksomaitis, whose address was given as Blythewood Place, outside an address on Salford Court at about 1.30am committing the offence before walking away. A man who is banned from being drunk in public spaces throughout Aberdeenshire has narrowly avoided jail – after he was caught 'heavily intoxicated' in Inverurie. Christopher Ettles, 39, was placed under the sweeping Anti-Social Behaviour Order (ASBO) four years ago at Banff Sheriff Court. Appearing at Aberdeen Sheriff Court last week, Ettles admitted one breach of that order, after police found him drunk as they aided a taxi driver, who was having difficulty getting him to pay a fare. The court was told Ettles was also refusing to leave the cab, at around 2.45am on February 2 this year. A man who claimed he accidentally accessed indecent images despite a search history to the contrary has been told he 'destroyed' children's lives for 'entertainment'. Adam Betteridge claimed he clicked a link sent to his mobile by accident, but investigators also found deleted searches including terms such as 'pedo', 'youngest' and 'hairless'. His solicitor told the court Betteridge had been going through a 'dark' time with poor mental health when the offence occurred. But, when he appeared for sentencing in Inverness, Sheriff Gary Aitken appeared to have little sympathy for the paedophile's mental health struggles. A man who killed his old friend in a crash on Skye has been 'humbled' by the kindness shown to him by the family of his victim. Malcolm Murchison, 70, was forced to tell Donald 'Donnie' Martin's relatives that his actions on May 5 2022 caused their loved one to die. The High Court in Edinburgh heard today how Murchison had been driving on the A87 near Portree in Skye on May 5 2022. He was driving a van with an excessive and unsecured load that caused a trailer to become detached and cross into the opposing carriageway. A joiner conman who scammed people across Scotland with fake promises to build sheds and summer houses has been jailed by a sheriff who said: 'The public is fed up with bogus workmen'. Alistair Baxter, who ran AB Garden Building Limited, took money from more than 60 people by promising to build sheds and summer houses. The 36-year-old took more than £100,000 in deposits but failed to carry out any work. The callous conman even went as far as fleecing a grieving Aberdeen dad he knew had suffered the shocking, sudden and unexpected death of his son. Three men from England have appeared in court accused of tampering with cashpoints in Aberdeen. We previously reported how police were investigating three incidents involving ATMs on Monday. A device resembling an iPod Nano was found attached to an ATM outside the Co-op on Kingswood Drive in Kingswells. Police were also made aware that the ATM outside the Morrisons Daily, off Berrymuir Road in Portlethen, had been 'tampered with'. A former Elgin City and Highland League star has admitted to pocketing more than £10,000 he was given to provide non-existent football training courses and sponsorship. Ceiran McLean, who once turned out for and won the Highland League title with Buckie Thistle, strung along his customers for more than a year with promises he could deliver bespoke packages after taking their cash. At Elgin Sheriff Court today – on the first day of his scheduled trial – the 34-year-old admitted conning customers of his football training business. The court did not hear the circumstances of McLean's crime, but was told that his illegal efforts stretched from June 15 2020 to August 11 2021. A 'toxic and manipulative' Peterhead thug who physically and sexually assaulted two women has been caged for nearly 10 years. Craig Neill was told he would remain subject to strict licence conditions for three years following his release from prison because of the risk of serious harm he poses to the public. He has also been banned from contacting his victims for the rest of his life and his name will remain on the sex offenders' register indefinitely. Neill, 33, was convicted of engaging in separate courses of coercive and abusive behaviour over a period of years towards two different partners, which followed a very similar pattern of threatening and controlling their activities, degrading and demeaning them, taking out his own unfounded jealousy on them and isolating them from friends and family. A drug dealer was caught with cocaine and heroin worth more than £21,000 after being stopped by police in an Inverness supermarket car park. Stephen Murray – a heroin addict with a £250-a-week habit – was detained by officers outside Tesco and wraps of drugs were found in his jacket pockets. A subsequent search of Murray's home recovered more drugs. Murray, 62, appeared for sentencing at Inverness Sheriff Court, having previously admitted a charge of being concerned in the supply of cocaine. A drink-driver has been jailed for two years after causing a head-on smash in rural Deeside. Daniel Glazewski fled the scene of the crash, near Torphins, and was eventually found hiding in woodland by a police dog, Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told. The crash, on the afternoon of June 23 2023, happened after other road users spotted Glazewski, 42, driving dangerously in his Audi A4 convertible. Fiscal depute David Ballock told the court one witness saw Glazewski at around 2.30pm as she was driving out of Torphins on the road approaching the junction with Woodside Road. Every day our reporters are sitting in courtrooms around the area and now you can get their stories sent directly to you, five days a week. A Skye man convicted of murder and three counts of attempted murder has been denied permission for an appeal hearing. Finlay Macdonald was found guilty in November of murdering John MacKinnon and attempting to murder his wife Rowena, as well as John Donald MacKenzie and his wife Fay, using a knife and a shotgun in August 2022. He was jailed for a minimum of 28 years. It came after a two-week trial at the High Court in Edinburgh in which Macdonald argued he had diminished responsibility due to mental health problems he was suffering at the time. A drug dealer who repeatedly raped a 15-year-old boy after plying children with cannabis has been handed an extended eight and a half year sentence. Jamie Chapman – who carried out all his crimes in Buckie – was branded an ongoing danger to young teenagers after he was found guilty of four drug supply and sex attack charges at the High Court. Chapman, 28, from Peterhead, was found guilty of supplying cannabis to four children, aged between 14 and 17, from 2 January until 29 July 2022. He was found guilty of carrying out several sex attacks on a 14-year-old girl, including one in which he persuaded her friend to watch before getting her to join in. A second man appeared in court today accused over the Fairways Business Park fire in Inverness. Jason Gallacher, 38, from Armadale in West Lothian, was remanded in custody following the private appearance at Inverness Sheriff Court. Today's hearing comes three days after another man was accused of the devastating blaze, which destroyed four units on March 9 this year. Jack Ventham, 34, was arrested in Livingston at the weekend and appeared in court on Monday. An Aberdeen cafe owner has avoided a prison sentence after he violently assaulted his girlfriend – who has since taken her own life. Kristian Howell, 28, throttled and punched Rainne Stewart, then 24, during a violent altercation that culminated in her suffering terrible head and neck injuries. In a police statement before her death, Rainne described Howell's face as being filled with 'rage' as he squeezed her neck 'as hard as he could'. She also believed Howell was 'going to kill her' that night. A five-times-the-limit drink-driver was caught out when he struggled to locate his petrol cap at a filling station, a court has heard. Staff at the Gulf filling station in Nairn approached Jefferson Banks when they noticed he was having an issue fuelling up. When they smelled alcohol on him, they alerted police, who later discovered Banks had a breath alcohol reading of 110 microgrammes per 100 millilitres – the legal limit being 22. Banks, 64, appeared at Inverness Sheriff Court to admit a single charge of drink-driving in relation to the incident on September 24 last year. An Aberdeen domestic abuser has been given more community service after breaching a court order not to contact his victim. Jordan MacDonald had been given a non-harassment order banning him from contact with his ex-partner. MacDonald, 25, previously admitted acting in a threatening and abusive manner towards the woman and one of her friends during an incident on Aberdeen's Beach Boulevard in 2023. Macdonald was convicted of driving his car towards the woman, who was narrowly pulled to safety by her friend. Two men have been remanded in custody after a 'chaotic' Aberdeen street brawl that saw one victim stabbed multiple times. Marcus Clarke, 48, and Ramay Russell, also known as Herb Russell, were convicted by a jury following a trial at the High Court in Aberdeen – with Clarke being found guilty of attempted murder. Russell, 43, was unanimously convicted of the lesser charge of assault to severe injury and permanent disfigurement after he struck the man with a pair of bolt cutters. Clarke, who has a long list of previous convictions, was found guilty by majority of attempting to murder victim Christopher McDonald by repeatedly stabbing him to the body with a knife. A crooked Aberdeen grandmother who stole £1.5m from her employers has told a court she used some of the cash to pay off a colleague who was blackmailing her. Coleen Muirhead – who earned £33,000-a-year at Panda Rosa Metals – also said she gave away more than £400,000 to her four sons and spent another £200,000 taking her whole family on foreign holidays. She insists none of her family questioned where the vast sums came from and none are able to pay it back. The 57-year-old was jailed for three years and three months in 2023 after she admitted embezzling the money from Panda Rosa Metals in Aberdeen.
BBC News
09-05-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Praise for new cycle lane on A52 but 'we need more'
Cyclists have praised investment in a new cycle lane on a section of the A52, but say more work is needed to make them feel Stewart, a bicycle mechanic, welcomed the addition of a cycle lane on the "very busy" stretch of road between the Priory and Queen's Medical Centre (QMC) roundabouts in he said "our cycling infrastructure is nowhere near where it should be".Ian Doust, programme development manager from National Highways in the Midlands, said the roadworks due to start later in May would "provide the travel standards that cyclists and pedestrians need". Mr Stewart, who lives in Derbyshire but cycles to The Bike Lounge in Beeston for work, has said he avoids the A52 on his commute as "it's not very cycling-friendly"."Most cyclists tend to try and find a quieter road, especially in the rush hour because they don't want to fight with the traffic," he said."So the fact that they're building and improving the cycle infrastructure has got to be a good thing."Once the cycle lane is finished he would be able to take "a more direct route into the city", he Mr Stewart emphasised that improvements were needed in the rest of the city. "If you compare us to cities in Europe in particular, we are way behind where we should be in terms of reducing traffic congestion and encouraging people to use forms of transport other than cars."John McCay, who runs the Beeston Cycle Club, said cycle lanes needed to be "universal"."It's all well and good on that part of the road, but then the cycle lane will stop," he added."From the QMC roundabout onwards if you're cycling into town you basically have to be invisible."If you're going to change it, do it properly or not at all." Katherine Albert, 65, is a self-declared lifelong cyclist who lives in Wollaton, near where the roadworks are due to take place. "I don't cycle up Derby Road because there's no cycle lane," she said. "So I think a cycle path sounds excellent."When potholes are very close to the edge of the road it makes it difficult to cycle there, so you have to cycle more into the middle of the road and that irritates the drivers."The issue has also been flagged by Mr Stewart, who said he had noticed an increase in damage caused by potholes, adding: "In the bike shop we get a lot of cyclists coming in with damaged wheels and punctures where they've hit potholes. "It's a real problem." Miguel Gentil Fernandez, an avid cyclist from Wollaton, is an associate professor at the University of Nottingham, specialising in urban planning. "All along Derby Road, it's very very dangerous for cyclists," he noted."So many of them feel that the only option is to go on the pavement. And that's obviously unsafe for pedestrians."He said he would "love" to see a dedicated cycle lane on the A52."I come from Seville where there is 200km (124m) of cycle lanes. "It completely changed the city. It changed people's moods. They're happier now they're not stuck in traffic." National Highways has said the A52 roadworks which are expected to take a year to complete would begin on 19 May. The agency hopes the scheme, which includes resurfacing the road, will make journeys "safer and smoother" for plans include building a combined cycleway and footway on the eastbound side of the A52 during the also involves rebuilding parts of the ageing drainage system as well as upgrading street lighting, bus stops and pedestrian crossings on the road development manager Ian Doust said: "By doing all of this work at the same time we can significantly reduce the number of road closures and amount of roadworks needed."The work is set to be complete by spring 2026, although an exact date is yet to be confirmed.
Press and Journal
05-05-2025
- Press and Journal
Cannabis drug-driver also had psychedelic substance
A man caught drug-driving on the A9 also had a hallucinogenic 'mushroom substance' with him. Paul Stewart's vehicle was stopped by police for a routine check, but officers soon suspected he was under the influence of cannabis. A roadside drug wipe confirmed their suspicion, and a subsequent search of his vehicle turned up an envelope containing a 'mushroom substance' later confirmed to be the class A psychedelic compound Psilocin. Stewart appeared from custody at Inverness Sheriff Court to admit drug-driving and possession of a class A drug. Fiscal depute Anna Boyle told the court it was around 8am on November 6 2023 that police officers travelling southbound on the A9 near North Kessock pulled Stewart's vehicle over for a routine check. She said: 'They stopped the car and spoke with the accused. They suspected him to be under the influence of cannabis and required him to provide a specimen, which returned a positive result.' A search was then carried out and an envelope containing a mushroom substance was found. Stewart was taken to the police station. where testing showed him to have 6.8 microgrammes of the cannabis derivative delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) per litre of blood – the legal limit being two microgrammes. The fiscal depute told the court that the street value of the Psilocin in Stewart's possession was unknown. Solicitor Donna Sievewright, for Stewart, said her 51-year-old client had been suffering from mental health problems following the death of his mother and had been attempting to self-medicate with substances at the time of the offence. She told the court: 'He thought he was fit to drive and knows that was a serious error of judgement.' She added: 'He is no longer using illicit substances.' Sheriff David Harvie told Stewart, who gave a relative's Elgin address to the court for correspondence: 'I'm sorry to hear about the death of your mother – I can understand the impact that that has had on you. I'm pleased to hear you are no longer seeking to deal with your issues by self-medicating.' He disqualified him from driving for 12 months and fined him £320.
Associated Press
09-04-2025
- Associated Press
When dating apps turn dangerous
EDINBURGH, United Kingdom, April 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Women looking for love online are being warned of a sinister side to dating apps, with new evidence that abusers may try to groom them to gain access to their children. Research by Childlight Global Child Safety Institute finds men who sexually offend against children are nearly four times more likely to use dating sites than non-offenders. The unit, hosted by the University of Edinburgh and University of New South Wales, found nearly two thirds (66%) of men who sexually offended against children used dating platforms – and over one in five (22%) used them daily. The report is part of a broader investigation into the multi-billion-dollar industry of child sexual exploitation and abuse, which financially benefits perpetrators, organised crime and even mainstream companies. While Childlight warns that sexual exploitation and abuse of children has become a pandemic, affecting over 300 million every year, it says education, legislation and technological measures can help prevent it. Its findings, based on a survey of about 5,000 men in Australia, the UK and US, represent the latest evidence of the risk of dating site misuse by people who sexually offend against children. It follows a separate recent survey by the Australian Institute of Criminology that found 12% of dating apps users received requests to facilitate child sexual exploitation and abuse – often related to their own children. Recent high-profile cases include Scottish lorry driver Paul Stewart who manipulated single mothers via dating apps to gain access to their children for sexual abuse. He was jailed for over three years last December. Around 381 million people use dating apps like Tinder, according to Statista. Report co-author Professor Michael Salter, director of the Childlight East Asia and Pacific Hub at UNSW, said: 'Our findings provide clear evidence that dating apps lack adequate child protection measures, and loopholes are exploited by abusers to target single parents and their children.' The survey of 5,000 men found 11.5% admitted having sexual feelings towards children, while 11% confessed to sexual offences against minors. Most dating sites do not require new users to provide evidence of their identity. Salter recommends user verification processes, like mandatory ID checks, and tools to detect predatory behaviours like grooming language or suspicious messaging patterns. Childlight's research also reveals that mainstream companies profit from and perpetuate the global trade in technology-facilitated sexual exploitation and abuse of children (CSEA). They include payment transfer firms and social media platforms where illegal child sexual abuse images are present and where abuse-related traffic can increase advertising revenues. Debi Fry, Childlight's Global Director of Data and Professor of International Child Protection Research at University of Edinburgh, said: 'Child sexual exploitation and abuse is a global public health emergency that requires emergency measures but it's preventable. We must mobilise globally, focusing not just on reactive law enforcement but on prevention strategies tackling underlying determinants of abuse — including financial and technological ecosystems sustaining it.'
