Latest from Press and Journal
Press and Journal
33 minutes ago
- Press and Journal
Inverallochy couple banned from keeping dogs after pet husky found starving
An Inverallochy couple who left their pet husky severely underweight because they failed to feed it a proper diet have been banned from keeping dogs for the next three years. Deborah Duncan and Reece Gordon were sentenced at Peterhead Sheriff Court after arriving at the building, hiding under their coats. The duo's husky, Kyro, should have weighed about 22kg when it was rescued by the Scottish SPCA, but after going in for emergency surgery vets recorded its weight at just 14kg. Duncan, 26, had initially refused to relinquish her ownership of the dog on request but failed to challenge the charity's bid within the timescale allowed. The dog has since been rehomed. Fiscal depute Emma Petersen told the court that Kyro had been taken in for surgery at the PDSA, a charity vet, to remove a sponge from his stomach and, on September 21 last year, while at Vets Now Veterinary Practice for post-op care, staff alerted the Scottish SPCA to their concerns. 'He scored one out of nine on the weight scale,' Ms Petersen said. 'At that time, Kyro weighed 14 kilos. The accused, Duncan, had brought the dog into the PDSA surgery principally because he hadn't eaten in several days and hadn't drunk in several days as well. 'The dog was seized by the SSPCA and the accused, Duncan, was advised of that on the 23rd of September.' Kyro would be examined by vets following his rescue, who reported muscle wastage across his whole body. Ms Peterson added: 'It was the opinion of vets that the dog had been caused unnecessary suffering.' They concluded the animal's nutritional needs had not been met for 'several weeks if not longer'. An inspector later met both Duncan and Gordon, 27, at their Allochy Road home, where they were told the dog would be taken away. Despite declining to give up ownership, neither challenged an official notice within the allowed time period. A spokeswoman for the charity last night said the dog's weight loss would have been apparent to 'any reasonable person'. She added: 'Kyro should have been brought to a vet a lot sooner. He was visibly underweight, weak, and had clearly been suffering. His owners' delay in seeking veterinary help has led to prolonged and unnecessary suffering. 'Kryo has since been adopted and now living the life he deserves.' Duncan's defence solicitor, Iain Jane, said the couple had been struggling financially at the time of the incident. 'It's not been, as such, a wilful neglect of the animal, it's been a combination of really poor personal circumstances that resulted in her income being cut because of underlying health difficulties she was having with a troublesome pregnancy,' he said. 'There's also a strain in terms of the finances because of the co-accused as well. Effectively, the family were barely coping and didn't seek, probably, the appropriate help.' Mr Jane also noted that while the dog was being fed, it was acknowledged it was not being fed nutritionally. He added: 'It was just unfortunate circumstances that manifested at that particular time, where Miss Duncan accepts she could have made better choices about matters.' Acting for Gordon, solicitor Erin Buchanan, said her client was in 'largely the same' position. She said Gordon had moved to the area from Aberdeen for work but found himself out of employment at the time and 'simply couldn't afford to eat himself'. 'Mr Gordon takes full responsibility for the part that he played in the commission of the offence,' Ms Buchanan added. 'He advises that he fell short in that respect.' Sentencing the couple, Sheriff Alan Sinclair said both would need to complete hours of unpaid work and that he felt it was 'necessary' to ban them from taking on another dog in the immediate future. 'I am going to offer you a community payback order in relation to this,' he said. 'You can be arrested for any alleged failure to comply. You need to comply with the order. 'I will also impose a disqualification order. The order will disqualify you from owning or keeping dogs for a period of 36 months. I make this order on the basis that it's necessary to ensure that other animals are not mistreated in your care. I consider the risk of harm to dogs is likely to endure for that period.' Both will now be required to complete 96 hours of unpaid work within the next year. Gordon, in addition, will be under the eye of the council's social work department for 12 months and attend any appointments it deems necessary to prevent his reoffending.
Press and Journal
33 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- Press and Journal
'We'll miss him forever' - Evan Thomson's closest friends pay tribute to their pal
The friends and girlfriend of tragic Evan Thomson have paid emotional tributes to the fun-loving 26-year-old after he tragically died while on holiday in Ibiza. We previously reported how Evan, from the Hilton area of Aberdeen, was on the Spanish holiday island when he fell from a sixth-floor balcony and died on July 7. His family were reassured that he would not have suffered in the moments before his passing. Now, four of his closest friends have recalled their fondest memories of Evan, who made a living selling designer and collectors' items and had grand ambitions to launch his own property empire. His girlfriend Remi Duncan, 23, said: 'The last week has been indescribably awful, but the one small mercy is we've supported each other. 'Evan's passing has left a big hole in our lives and we will miss him forever.' Remi recalled with a smile how she first met Evan in January while on a night out in an Aberdeen bar. Remi said: 'I was at the bar in Prohibition on a Friday night. 'I was being polite,' she said. 'He'd been standing there for a bit longer than I had, so I tapped him on the shoulder and said 'you can go first'. 'The next thing I know, I had a shot coming over to me. It was a Fireball. 'I said 'I don't do Fireballs' and Evan replied: 'Well, tonight you do'. 'He had me laughing from the get-go and then we were just yapping for the rest of the night. 'His first impression really did work on me.' Remi added: 'We added each other on social media and were constantly talking. 'It got a little bit more serious. He would come round to mine. We started FaceTiming and calling and we became a couple. 'He'd keep me up until 7am sometimes, but would always have something to say and would keep me smiling. 'It was clear to see that Evan always wanted to be an entrepreneur and had the mindset of not letting anything get in his way. 'Evan would sit at night doing loads of research for hours – he put a lot of effort into his work.' Another pal, James Shand, 24, said he met Evan completely by chance after an event. James had left his wallet at the event and Evan found it – then went out of his way to track down James. After returning his wallet, Evan hit it off with James right away. James said: 'We'd spent time in a group on a 45-minute walk and, for the whole journey, I noticed that Evan and I stayed so close to each other. 'From the top of St Nicholas Centre to Hilton, me and him just chatted for so long – little did I know I was going to meet my best friend, all because of a missing wallet. 'He was such a caring person and he valued everyone so highly. 'We would play badminton together at Aberdeen Sports Village – and he would beat us all at it. 'He also liked to play FIFA on Xbox. 'Evan would lose – but he made sure after a while that would change by sitting at home and practising, then getting his revenge by beating us at the game.' Often while socialising, Evan's group would sit and watch reality shows like Love Island – but he would try to persuade others to turn the channel and 'watch something more educational so we can learn something'. James said: 'That's just his character – he was one of a kind. 'Last year, we went to Krakow in Poland. It was one of these spontaneous last-minute trips. 'It was such a good time. A city break – four or five days away. We did so much. 'Evan always said to me, because I'm a bit younger than him and I'd never been on holidays, 'we need to get you out of Aberdeen to see other places'. 'He changed people's lives for the better.' James added: 'On his 18th birthday, his parents (Graham and Lel) let him have some people round.' Remi added: 'You'd get two friends turning up, then more kept showing up, then more. 'Lel told me she became so stressed and Evan's friends were offering her cups of tea in her own kitchen.' James added that Evan's music taste ranged from classical to drill and everything in between – a song for every occasion. Lewis Davidson, 25, said: 'I went to Harlaw Academy. I think he joined my school when he was about 13 or 14, from St Machar Academy. 'He wasn't exactly one of the hardest people to miss in the corridor. 'He was the tallest, at 6ft 3in, and was always smiling. 'You could always hear him coming, whether he was laughing or making other people laugh. 'All you needed was one conversation and next thing you know you're speaking to him every time you see him.' Blair Robertson, 24, met Evan through James when Blair started university. He said: 'Evan was someone you always want to be around. He had an aura about him. 'Our friendship group is made up of people from different places and Evan was the glue of the group – he was the reason it formed.' Though Evan had a taste of university life by socialising at Blair's halls, he didn't fancy higher learning. Blair said: 'Evan always wanted to be successful. 'He was always doing something active – whether it be starting off a clothes brand or buying and selling other items. 'Evan wanted to work for himself and do well.' James said: 'Of everyone in the group, Evan was the trendsetter and had an eye for fashion and trends. 'He would buy Supreme shoes at the time that they were in demand and they would sell instantly.' Lewis said: 'Some of us were considering forming a property business together with Evan. 'We went to open-house events. 'He was really looking forward to doing up the houses. 'Regardless of whether he was good at DIY – it wouldn't matter. If you gave him 10 minutes and a youtube video, he would have it done. 'He was really keen on going into property dealings. 'I used to wake up some mornings and he'd sent me four property web pages and I'm looking at the very early time he's sent it thinking 'what is he playing at there?' 'You could never accuse him of not being ambitious. 'He always wanted the best for himself and everyone around him.' James said: 'Evan's main thing in life is that he used to be so annoying for taking pictures and videos. 'I used to say to him 'why have you always got your phone out?' 'He would reply 'because we're making memories.'' James added: 'He had an impact on everybody and changed people's lives for the better.' Remi said: 'Evan really turned my world upside down and taught me not to care about what people think. 'He didn't care – and did what he wanted to do – and he really opened my eyes with that.' Blair, who has a young daughter, said: 'A couple of weeks ago, Evan was trying to teach my daughter how to crawl. 'He has always offered to get her to sleep and everything and. every time he saw me with my daughter, he'd say: 'I want one of these'.' Remi added: 'He definitely would mention that to me!' Lewis said: 'Blair's birthday was not so long ago and Evan bought him a camera – so he could capture all those memories with his daughter. 'That's the kind of caring person he was. And we will miss him.'
Press and Journal
33 minutes ago
- Business
- Press and Journal
Brodies' Aberdeen boss hails record turnover as recruitment drive kicks off
Brodies' Aberdeen boss says the firm's 15th straight year of growth is driven by its commitment to recruiting top legal talent at all levels and strengthening its local teams. Partner Martin Ewan's comments come as the legal firm reports a record turnover of £126.7 million for the financial year ending 30 April 2025 – up 11% from £114.3m the previous year. All equity partners at the full-service law firm were awarded £885,296. Meanwhile, staff members bagged a 5% bonus, performance bonuses and salary increases. This comes as operating profit grew slightly to over £50m, up from £49.2m. Brodies, which employs over 100 people in the Granite City, has almost doubled its Inverness workforce since opening an office in Clava House in 2022 – from 12 to 23. Mr Ewan said clients across the north-east and Highlands and Islands have been facing a number of challenges, which has led to increased demand for their services. He added: 'Our ability to support our clients now and in the future is underpinned by growing a practice of local experts who work with specialists across the wider firm. 'That includes the recruitment of the best lawyers at all levels, starting at the grassroots level of our trainees – for which we are currently in the process of recruiting our next cohort for 2027 across all of our offices. 'We have invested – and will continue to do so – in growing our locally-based teams of skilled lawyers so that we can help clients with their commercial ambitions and challenges, and support them on personal and family matters.' Highlights from the financial year include: Continued investment in the Highlands and Islands has seen work start on an expansion of Brodies' Inverness office to support the firm's growth in the region. The planned work taking place over the summer will provide colleagues with additional desk space, breakout and collaboration areas. Brodies' managing partner Stephen Goldie said this progress comes amid continuing domestic and global headwinds and reflects the resilience and ambition of its clients. He said: 'As we enter the second year of our current three-year strategic cycle, we remain focused on those plans – recognising the talent and contribution of our colleagues, encouraging greater collaboration across our firm and with our clients, and investing in our offices and in technology that augments the high standards our clients expect. 'Our plans for Inverness are just one example of this, reflecting the ambition of our clients in the Highlands and Islands, the opportunity that exists in the region, and the hard work and dedication of our colleagues to support those clients, be they businesses, organisations or individuals.'
Press and Journal
a day ago
- Press and Journal
Man in court accused of murdering Dylan Geddes in Aberdeen
A man has appeared in court today accused of murdering 24-year-old Dylan Geddes in Aberdeen. Dylan was found seriously injured in an alleged stabbing on Pennan Road in Tillydrone in the early hours of Thursday July 10. He was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary but died a short while later. Today, Brandon Booth, 25, appeared in private at Aberdeen Sheriff Court accused of Dylan's murder. Booth, of Aberdeen, made no plea and was remanded in custody. Dylan's family released a statement through Police Scotland paying tribute to him. The statement read: 'Dylan was a much-loved son, grandson, brother and nephew. He will be sorely missed every day by all who knew him. 'The family is absolutely devastated by what has happened and would like privacy at this difficult time.' Since his death there has been an outpouring of tributes to Dylan from friends and those who knew him. DI James Callander from the Major Investigation Team said: 'Our thoughts remain with Dylan's family and friends at this extremely difficult time. 'Specially trained officers continue to offer support and keep them updated with our investigation.'
Press and Journal
a day ago
- Sport
- Press and Journal
Mark Nicolson enjoying Brora Rangers' Premier Sports Cup campaign as he reveals it could be his last season
Mark Nicolson is determined to savour Brora Rangers' Premier Sports Cup campaign because he is almost certain this will be his last season. The Breedon Highland League champions take on League One side Kelty Hearts on Tuesday night at Dudgeon Park after starting their section with a 2-0 home loss to Kilmarnock on Saturday. This is defender Nicolson's ninth season with Brora Rangers, and the 37-year-old, who spent a decade with Elgin City earlier in his career, revealed this may be his final season. He said: 'It's good to be involved in the League Cup. Sometimes you maybe take these sort of games for granted and I've been fortunate to play in these type of games a fair bit during my career, and you've got to enjoy them. 'This is my ninth season at Brora. I'm getting on a bit and I'm 95% sure this will be my last season before retiring. 'I want to make the most of it and enjoy every minute, because I'm pretty certain this will be it for me.' This is the third time Brora have competed in the League Cup group stage. The Cattachs have yet to win a game – although they did record two draws in 2020, but lost the subsequent penalty shoot-outs for a bonus point. Nicolson is hopeful Brora can pick up that maiden victory and believes the clash with Kelty provides a decent opportunity to do that. He added: 'We don't have a particularly great record in the competition, but hopefully we can get that first win. 'This game against Kelty and East Fife next week are two teams we feel we can match, so I don't see why we can't win those games. 'We've got good players in our squad who could play at a higher level and hopefully we can show that. 'We're a confident team and we're comfortable playing anyone at home. 'I'm hopeful the Kelty game will be more even. 'We know they're a good side with some really good players, but we feel we're closer to them in terms of ability than we were compared with Kilmarnock. 'Kelty are part-time like us and hopefully we should have more of the ball and be able to create a few more chances than we did on Saturday. 'We won't underestimate Kelty, but we're confident in our ability playing at home.' Brora are set to welcome back James Wallace and Alex Cooper for the game against Kelty, while they have also secured winger Max Ewan on a new contract until the summer of 2028. The 24-year-old joined the Cattachs from Nairn County in August 2021 and has helped them win the Highland League, three R Davidson (Banchory) Highland League Cups and two North of Scotland Cups. Meanwhile, the Highland League's other Premier Sports Cup representative, Brechin City, are also in action on Tuesday night. The Hedgemen take on Championship outfit Queen's Park at Lesser Hampden. Brechin were beaten 7-0 by Falkirk in their opening League Cup fixture on Saturday, while Queen's Park lost 2-1 against Spartans.
