Drug deal denied

A NEWTON Stewart man has denied selling and possessing drugs and will stand trial on July 14th.
John McCulloch (27) of Drew Avenue plead not guilty to selling heroin at Station Road in the town and also to having methadone in his home.
He is further charged with attempting to dispose of the drugs, therefore obstructing police officers.

Young driver faces dock

A TRIAL date has been set for a young driver charged with road traffic offences which landed him in hospital.
Benjamin Thompson (18) of St John Street, Whithorn will take the stand on August 8th following dangerous driving charges brought against him after the car crash at Lochans last September, which saw him hit a lamp post, a house wall and a skip.

Not guilty to indecency charges

A MAN has denied indecent behaviour charges against a teenage relative.
George Clive (23) of Greenrigg Road, Cumbernauld plead not guilty to placing her in a state of fear and alarm through his actions at a Stranraer address in April.
He will stand trial on July 9th.

Denies buggy-throw

A STRANRAER youngster has been accused of throwing a child's buggy into a street and committing a breach of the peace.
Craig Brigg (19) of High Street plead not guilty to the charge, said to have taken place in March.
Brigg is charged with throwing the buggy, shouting, swearing, uttering threats and repeatedly banging on the door of a home at Murrayfield Avenue.
Proceedings will continue on June 2nd.

Childcare fraud unintentional

A WOMAN who used an unregistered child minder and continued to claim benefits for it has been ordered to do community service.
Lana McGuire (33) of Brooke Street, Dumfries lived in Whithorn at the time of the offence and managed to claim £16, 481 during the period between June 2003 and October 2006.
Lawyer Michael Kilkerr said the incident was an unintentional one and that McGuire has been working and hoped to avoid a custodial sentence.
Sheriff Tom Millar said that although a jail term was on the cards, he would impose community service of 120 hours and warned McGuire that if she failed to keep it up, she could face custody.

Too young to drive

A DALBEATTIE youngster appeared in court charged with taking a car and driving it, despite only being 16 at the time.
Sandy Little, who is now 17, plead guilty at an earlier hearing but lawyer Paul Feeney said at Stranraer Sheriff Court on Tuesday that there had been trouble obtaining background reports from the social workers in Devon, where Little is now living.
Little admitted stealing a car from Southwick Drive on January 12th, driving it without a licence or insurance at Old Military Road, Creetown and losing control of the vehicle, causing it to overturn and land on its side. He also failed to provide details of the incident to police.
Sheriff Tom Millar deferred sentence for the reports once more and the case now call on June 13rd.

Probation for thief

A STRANRAER man who stole a perfume gift set from a shop has been given an 18-month probation order.
Ernest Wallace (22) of Murrayfield Gardens took the set from Boots on October 27th last year and sentence had been deferred to see if a place could be found on a drug treatment programme for him.
But in court this week, lawyer Paul Feeney said that hadn't been possible.
Sheriff Tom Millar said that he could see Wallace was "anxious to change" and imposed the order, along with 100 hours of community service.

Good behaviour warnings

TWO men have been told by the sheriff to behave over the next six months or face a harsh sentence.
Sheriff Tom Millar warned James Marshall (24) of Kings Guest House and Steven Scott (24) of Dalrymple Street, both Stranraer that if they prove they can avoid getting into trouble then they will be dealt with favourably in six months.
The warning came after the pair stole chocolate spread and soft drinks from a shop in the town last May.
They will both now appear in November.

Help for drug offender

A PLACE on a drug treatment and testing programme was handed to a Stranraer woman this week in a bid to help curb her offending.
Sarah Jane Wilson (33) of Hillside Crescent appeared at Stranraer Sheriff Court after trying to hide a polythene bag containing drugs from police officers on February 22nd.
She admitted the obstruction and lawyer Paul Feeney said on Tuesday that Wilson was keen to try and sort her life out.
Sheriff Tom Millar said to her: "It is now very much up to you to take advantage of this scheme."
Wilson was placed on the order for 18 months.

Ran away from police

A STRANRAER man who tried to run away from police after they told him he was to be searched under the misuse of drugs act.
Stephen McLean (19) of Dunhaven Guest House was seen acting suspiciously in Stranraer town centre, said fiscal depute Kay Jardine, so the officers decided to search him.
She said: "It was around 12.55pm when the officers on patrol spotted McLean acting suspiciously with two others.
"They told the group they were all being detained for a drug search and McLean ran away. He was soon apprehended and taken to stranraer Police Station."
Here, £65 worth of heroin was found in McLean's pocket.
Defending, solicitor Paul Feeney said that McLean was willing to undertake probation, and Sheriff Tom Millar agreed to impose a 12-month order.
The sheriff added: "I will be calling for two-monthly reviews to monitor your progress."

Granted bail

A MAN accused of shouting at a woman on a Stranraer street was granted bail on Tuesday pending trial.
Derek Barry (47) of John Simpson Drive denies conducting himself in a disorderly manner and shouting at the woman on Charlotte Street in the town in March.
He also denies uttering threats and committing a breach of the peace.
He will now stand trial on July 14th.

Insurance mix-up

AN insurance mix-up led to a woman appearing in court on Tuesday where she was fined £200.
Michelle McClymont (26) of Bayview Terrace, Kirkcolm was found to have been driving without insurance following a collision in Stranraer town centre.
Fiscal depute Kay Jardine said that at 12pm on February 7th, officers were called to the scene and they asked McClymont to produce her documents.
She later dropped them off to police but it emerged she was not covered on the policy she produced.
Solicitor Paul Feeney said that McClymont's brother-in-law had loaned her the car and she had assumed she was insured to drive it via her own policy.
Sheriff Tom Millar said McClymont should have been more careful but agreed not to disqualify her on this occasion.
She also had her licence endorsed with six penalty points.

Fraud case deferred

A WOMAN who forged her husband's signature to obtain a loan of £37,000 failed to appear for sentencing this week because of complications giving birth recently.
The court heard on Tuesday that Faith McKenna (28) of John Simpson Drive, Stranraer had given birth but the child was taken to Yorkhill Children's Hospital immediately where it is in a critical condition.
Lawyer Margot Nicol asked for the case, to which McKenna had plead guilty at a previous hearing, to be adjourned until a time when she could appear.
Sheriff Tom Millar said that given the circumstances, he was prepared to delay sentencing until June 24th and also called for a supplementary report on McKenna's situation.

Detention for a year

A NINETEEN-year old man has been sent into custody for a year after brandishing a knife on a Stranraer street.
James Turner, of Agnew Crescent in the town, also conducted himself in a disorderly manner, challenged people to a fight and committed a breach of the peace on Sun Street in April.
Lawyer Margot Nicol suggested Turner's behaviour is a result of him having witnessed violence from an early age.
She added: "He struggles with social skills and has never had financial stability due to him having never had a job."
Sheriff Tom Millar said that as Turner had been released from a previous sentence of detention early, he would go back and serve the remainder of it.