Flowers for ex. led to jail

[Nwicker60]

Bouquet breached interdict ban court is told

DONALD JOHNSTON said it with flowers...and it landed him in prison.
For he was subject to an interdict banning him from having any contact with his former partner.
Johnston, 29, appeared from custody, and admitted breaching the domestic abuse interdict imposed at Wick Sheriff Court in May, last year.
The flowers, with a hand-written card, were delivered to his ex-partner at her home in Thurso, via a local florist, on March 14. Ms Jones reported the matter to the police and Johnston was arrested.
David Barclay, prosecuting, said that he was unaware of what the note contained but the suggestion was that the flowers might have been an attempt to re-kindle the relationship.
Solicitor Fiona MacDonald said that Johnston, of 4 Bank Court, Thurso, appreciated that he had put himself in a very difficult position and she appealed for a non-custodial sentence.
Sheriff Andrew Berry observed that the accused had breached the interdict shortly after completing an extensive but unrelated jail sentence, imposed at the High Court, in Glasgow and commented: “You clearly acted in defiance of the order, the terms of which would have been made very clear to you.”
Johnston will be sentenced on April 4 after the sheriff considers a background report.

Lap dog caused driver to swerve

A FAMILY'S dog was blamed for a Caithness driver’s careless moment, it was claimed in a north court yesterday.
The pet which was in the front passenger seat, distracted businessman Donald Alexander and caused his Vauxhall Corsa to veer onto the wrong side of the A836 at the village of Reay, on January 6, last year and the incident was spotted by police on patrol.
The 73-year-old first offender, who lives at Keoltag, Reay, was admonished and incurred three penalty points after he admitted careless driving.
Mr Barclay, prosecuting, described it as being at the lowest end of the careless driving scale.
Defence agent, Edward Targowski, QC, explained that the family dog had been sitting on the lap of the accused‘s wife in the front passenger seat but had suddenly jumped onto the accused causing him to swerve.
Mr Targowski appealed for leniency saying that Alexander, a first offender, travelled thousands of miles a year between his business and social life journeys.
Admonishing him, Sheriff Berry commented that he had taken the accused’s clean driving licence and good work ethic into consideration.