Jury's decisions on six charges expected tomorrow

A JURY is expected to give its verdicts today tomorrow in the case of a Thurso man accused of serious assaults on two former girlfriends.
The jurors rose today after some two-and-a half hours of deliberation and will resume consideration of the six charges John Lamont, denies on indictment, today(Thursday)
These allege he punched Wendy McLeod, pushed her head against a wall causing it to break a hole in the plasterboard.
Lamont is also accused of pushing her onto a chair and punching her, pushing her head under the water in a bathroom basin and seizing her by the hair and hitting her on the head with an ironing board.
The accused, of Rose Street Thurso, further denies punching Vera Graham pushing her out of the front door causing her to fall down a set of steps and strike her head and seizing her by the throat. The assaults are said to have occurred between April 1, 2008 and June 30, 2011 at Rose Street and an earlier home in Leitch Court, in the town.
Lamont, 50, claims that none of the incidents happened and the women were making the whole thing up to get him into trouble.
Defence solicitor George Mathers suggested that one motive might be that the accused was now in a stable loving relationship and Ms McLeod and Ms Graham were jealous. Lamont had ended both his relationships with them.
Summing up, Mr Mathers submitted that the pair had concocted the assault allegations to get Lamont into trouble. The solicitor also questioned the significant lapse in time before they reported matters to the police.
Fiscal Fraser Matheson, however, maintained it was Lamont who was lying and trying to besmirch the women in an attempt to undermine their evidence.