A bus driver who knocked over and killed an elderly Hearts supporter who was making his way home from watching a match escaped jail but was banned from the road.
An Edinburgh rapist who subjected three young children aged between seven and 13-year-old to a campaign of sexual abuse from 2001 until 2009 was jailed in November.
And a 26-year-old man was jailed last month for causing death by dangerous driving at Easter Road in Edinburgh in June, 2022.
5. Drunk soldier sexually assaulted girl on bus
A drunk Fijian soldier who carried out a sickening sex attack on a teenage girl as they travelled on the top deck of a bus has been jailed and placed on the sex offenders register. Joape Kotobalavu, 29, sat down next to the terrified victim on the top deck of a Lothian bus and forced himself on her by kissing and licking her on the face. The teenager, who was just 16 at the time, told a court when she pulled away from the soldier’s advances he told her ‘It’s not like I’m going to rape or assault you’. She said she was forced to jump over an empty seat in front of her as she fled from the attack by the squaddie in October 2022. The victim then broke down in tears when she phoned her mother to tell her about what had happened as she traveled between Penicuik and Loanhead in Midlothian. Kotobalavu denied any wrongdoing and stood trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court last month where he was found guilty of sexually assaulting the 16-year-old girl on October 29, 2022. He returned to the dock for sentencing on November 22 where Sheriff Kathrine Mackie was told the infantryman is also facing a court martial hearing next month in relation to a similar offence. Kotobalavu was jailed for 12 months and his name will be added to the sex offenders register for 10 years. | Alexander Lawrie
6. Sexually assaulted air stewardess
Italian school teacher Sebastian Russo, 39, was travelling on a flight from Krakow in Poland to the Scottish capital when he touched a cabin crew member on the behind while she was attending to another passenger. Russo pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting the member of Ryanair cabin crew by placing his hand on her buttocks without consent on board an aircraft from Krakow, Poland, to Edinburgh Airport when he appeared at the capital court in October. He returned to the dock for sentencing on November 25, where Sheriff John Cook fined him £940 and placed him on the Sex Offenders Register for five years. Sheriff Cook said: “There are a number of aggravations to this charge firstly it was an assault in the course of the victim’s employment and secondly the locus was on board an aircraft. “The contact in this case was fleeting and albeit the complainer was stressed she was able to carry on with her duties in spite of that.” | Alexander Lawrie
7. Abused partner and tortured cat
A vicious brute who abused his former partner and tortured the family cat has been ordered to stay away from his victim and banned from keeping animals for five years. Pawel Twardowicz, 42, assaulted and abused his ex Paulma Wilk by striking her to the body and threatening to spit in her face during repeated incidents over a three year period. The court was told Twardowicz also carried out shocking attacks on the family cat named DJ, by repeatedly striking the pet to the head and locking the terrified animal in a crate and violently shaking it. The hotel maintenance worker was snared after his attacks on the woman and the animal had been captured on a cat-cam he had installed himself at his home at the capital’s Wester Hailes area. On November 25, Twardowicz was sentenced to a non-harassment order banning him from having any contact with his former partner for seven years and has been prohibited from keeping animals for five years. He was also placed under supervision for two years, told to carry out 260 hours of unpaid work and must attend sessions with the domestic abuse organisation Caledonian Mens Programme. Sheriff Walls also imposed a restriction of liberty order where Twardowicz will have to wear an electronic tag and stay within his home address between 7pm and 7am for the next four months. | Alexander Lawrie
8. Historic child sex abuse
A former antiques dealer from East Lothian who was extradited from Thailand to face charges of historic child sexual abuse was jailed in November. John Martin, who used to live in Haddington, was brought back to Scotland by National Crime Agency (NCA) officers in December 2023 after moving to Bangkok several years earlier. The 74-year-old, who formerly worked in an antiques store in Edinburgh’s Grassmarket, stood trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court where he was found guilty of three charges on October 25. He subjected two young girls to a campaign of sexual abuse lasting almost a decade between the mid-1980s and 1990s. His offending took place at various locations in Perth & Kinross, Fife and East Lothian. On November 8, at the same court, Martin was sentenced to three years and three months imprisonment. His name has been added to the sex offenders register indefinitely. Non-harassment orders, banning Martin from contacting or attempting to contact the victims, were granted for a period of 20 years. | Stock Photo: .