A GREENOCK man who constantly flouted a non-harassment order barring him from the victim of his domestic abuse has had it scrapped after the woman sent him a Valentine s card in jail. John Traill had previously been warned that a calculator might be needed to work out a prison sentence due to the number of times he d breached the order designed to protect his on-off partner. But a sheriff decided instead to fine him £1,000 and revoke it, after being told that Traill s girlfriend, Carol Bell, is every bit as culpable as him in the numerous breaches. Defence lawyer Gerry Keenan said: The vast majority of contact has been on a consensual basis.
A FAMILY man made jobless shortly before lockdown armed himself with a knife and robbed a Greenock convenience store. Stuart McLaughlin, 42, repeatedly demanded cash from a terrified female counter assistant at the McColl s shop on Inverkip Road. McLaughlin who fled with two bottles of Beefeater gin is now beginning a near two-year prison sentence. The sheriff court heard how the robber entered the shop shortly after 5pm on March 8 and waited for a customer with a child to leave before producing the knife. He dropped the blade on the floor and quickly retrieved it before putting the gin in a basket and demanding: Give me the money out of the till.
A KNIFE charge man who bolted from Greenock Sheriff Court after breaking free from handcuffs in a moment of sheer madness has been sentenced to two-and-a half years imprisonment. Stephen Vance managed to wriggle out of being shackled to a custody officer and sprinted from the building before hiding in nearby bushes in a desperate bid to defeat justice. But the 27-year-old was arrested within minutes of escaping. Vance left the Geo Amey security guard he d fled from, as well as two police officers, injured in the wake of his dramatic getaway. He made a break for it after he was told he was being remanded in custody for blade possession.
A PORT Glasgow man convicted of an appalling domestic abuse offence against his ex-partner has avoided prison. Ryan McDonald waited until the day of his trial, with the victim cited to give evidence against him, before he finally admitted to the crime his second against the same woman. His lawyer, Rhona Lynch, argued for McDonald to be given a community-based sentence, pointing out his very limited record and noting that he was admonished for the other matter. But Sheriff Andrew McIntyre countered: The message for the community should not be that you get one free offence. For the other offence, there was an admonition but it involved the same complainer.