The nine criminals featured this month include an Edinburgh man who sexually assaulted two young schoolgirls, who was handed an extended jail sentence of five years and six months and placed on the sex offenders register for life.
A man who was caught with a haul of disturbing child abuse images was banned from having any contact with children and from attending play parks was also sentenced this month, while a 19-year-old man was sentenced to 16 months’ detention over his involvement in Edinburgh Bonfire Night disorder in 2024.
Also included is a driver who mowed down a police officer in a shocking hit and run incident. He was jailed for more than two years and banned from the road.
1. Driver ran over policeman
Andrew Yorkston drove his car at PC Dermott Maughan and knocked him to the ground before “panicking” and fleeing the scene in Haddington, East Lothian, last year. Yorkston, 35, drove over the stricken officer’s arm and left tyres marks on his body and sped off leaving the injured constable sprawled on the roadway. This video screenshot shows PC Maughan trying to stop the car speeding off. Officers eventually tracked him down at the address and had to ferry him to hospital due to his suspected “drug induced state”. Yorkston was initially charged with attempted murder but pled guilty to a reduced charge of assault to the danger of life when he appeared from custody at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on March 10. He also admitted to charges of driving the vehicle dangerously on various roads in East Lothian and to driving while disqualified, all on May 6 last year. Horror footage of the serious assault was recorded on a mobile phone by a shocked pedestrian and posted on social media following the incident. Sheriff Graeme Watson jailed Yorkston for a total of 136 weeks backdated to his remand date last May. Yorkston was also handed a further five year disqualification from driving and told he must pass the extended test before being allowed back on the road. | Alexander Lawrie
2. Bonfire night disturbance
Finlay Burns launched rockets and missiles at police lines and smashed up an unmarked police vehicle during a Bonfire Night riot in Edinburgh in 2024. He was sentenced on March 2 this year to 16 months’ detention over his involvement. He pleaded guilty in February to violent offences, including endangering the lives of police officers after he attacked them in the Gracemount area on November 5, 2024. Chief Superintendent David Robertson, divisional commander for Edinburgh, said: “The scenes we witnessed in Edinburgh that night were wholly unacceptable and Finlay Burns was responsible for some of the most violent and disorderly behaviour. His guilty plea earlier this year is a testament to the overwhelming evidence we gathered, and the case built against him by Edinburgh division. His reckless behaviour terrorised the local community and put officers at significant risk of harm. I hope the outcome in this case serves as a reminder to everyone that we will not tolerate such conduct and will use all resources at our disposal to identify those responsible and bring them to justice.” | Crown Office/Alexander Lawrie
3. Man who fondled woman on flight avoids jail
A drunk air passenger who abused cabin crew after he was told off for fondling a woman on a holiday flight packed with families was last month spared jail due to him attending the Priory Clinic. Michael Fyvie was seen by air staff with his hand down the trousers of a woman while the pair were “passionate kissing” on board the Jet2 flight from Tenerife to Edinburgh. Fyvie, 35, was asked to stop his amorous advances but reacted by branding air stewards and passengers as “mongos”, “retards” and “faggots”. The concerned air staff informed the captain of the flight of Fyvie’s drunken behaviour and police were put on standby at Edinburgh Airport when the plane landed at around 1.15am on August 10, 2024. Edinburgh Sheriff Court was told passengers were seen to be “loudly applauding” as Fyvie was subsequently escorted from the Boeing 737 by officers. He appeared at the Capital’s sheriff court last year where he pleaded guilty to charges of being drunk on board an aircraft and behaving in a threatening or abusive manner. He returned for sentencing on March 9 when defence solicitor Nigel Beaumont said his client had been admitted to the Priory Clinic for treatment to his alcoholic condition. Sheriff Gillian Sharp said Fyvie had shown “limited insight” into his offending and his previous motivation to address his alcoholism had been “poor”. Fyvie was sentenced to a three year supervision order and must attend substance misuse and mental health services when required to do so by his supervising officer. He was also ordered to carry out 270 hours of unpaid work and fined £400. | Alex Lawrie
4. Care worker left disabled client to work in strip club
A care worker is facing a ban from working with vulnerable adults after he left his disabled client alone to work shifts at an Edinburgh strip club. Michael Harper was employed to take care of the woman’s needs when he attended during overnight stays at the woman’s home in the west end of the capital. But the 36-year-old carer abandoned the client for hours on several occasions over a 14 month period to work behind the bar at the Baby Dolls strip bar and attend at a local gym. Harper was eventually suspended from his position following an internal investigation by his employers and the matter was subsequently reported to the police. Harper pleaded guilty to ill-treating or wilfully neglecting the woman by leaving her unattended on various occasions when he was supposed to be caring for her between January 2022 and March 2023. He was prosecuted under the Health (Tobacco, Nicotine etc. and Care) (Scotland) Act 2016 when he appeared in the dock at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on March 9. Sheriff Charles Walls described the offence as ‘a breach of trust’ and sentenced Harper to a community payback order. Harper, from Edinburgh, was placed under the supervision of the social work department for 12 months and was ordered to carry out 105 hours of unpaid work. Sheriff Walls also forwarded Harper’s name to Scottish Ministers for them to consider that his name should be added to those banned from working with vulnerable adults in the future. | Alexander Lawrie