Edinburgh’s courts dished out sentences in March for crimes including sending child abuse images, assaulting animals, sexual assaults and murder. Daniel Gauld, 25, was found guilty following a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh for the murder of 62-year-old Douglas Struthers who he attacked at his home in Bo'ness in September 2022.
Gary Yuill, 45, of Wallyford, East Lothian, was sentenced to 12 years in prison at the High Court in Edinburgh after previously being found guilty by a jury of 21 offences, which included nine counts of rape. The offences were committed against four women in Haddington, Dunbar, Wallyford, and Edinburgh between 2004 and 2021.
And, a retired private school teacher who sexually assaulted two young sisters escaped a jail sentence. Paul Carline, 79, - dubbed “Pervy Paul” by one of his victims - targeted the pair when they were aged between five and 12 years old by exposing himself and making vile sexual comments to them. Carline was sentenced to wear an electronic tag and stay within his home between 7pm and 7am for the next 12 months. He will be supervised and was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for three years.
While, an American airline pilot who was found to have alcohol in his system less than two hours before he was due to fly hundreds of passengers from Edinburgh to New York was jailed for 10 months.
1. Gamekeeper banned from keeping animals
A former gamekeeper who trapped and killed magpies in his back garden has been banned from keeping animals for five years. Alexander Hamilton, 64, set up three traps to catch the birds at his home before passing the live magpies on to friends to use in their own traps. But it was found Hamilton also killed some of the birds he caught when they became sick by clubbing them over the head with a stick. Hamilton was caught out after a concerned neighbour informed the Scottish SPCA who sent officers out to investigate the practice carried out at his home in Penicuik, Midlothian. Hamilton appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on March 5 where he pleaded guilty to causing protected animals unnecessary suffering and to striking the birds with a stick causing them to be emaciated and to die at his home, all between July 1 and August 1, 2022. Sheriff Gillian Sharp sentenced Hamilton to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work in the community and disqualified him from owning or keeping animals, with the exemption of his two dogs, for five years. | Alexander Lawrie Photo: Alexander Lawrie
2. Child abuse images sent
A man who sent naked pictures of children to online paedophiles while pretending to be a 13-year-old schoolgirl has escaped a jail sentence. Aylwin Gordon, 36, sent the depraved images to men he met online and asked them to send him videos of them performing solos sex acts while they looked at the pictures. Gordon was caught out when police officers discovered chat logs between him and the men after raiding his Walkerburn home in connection with him downloading child abuse images and videos. He pleaded guilty to possessing the child abuse images and to sending men images while posing as a 13-year-old girl when he appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court in January. On March 7, Gordon was placed on a supervision order and the Sex Offenders Register for 18 months and was told he must carry out 200 hours of unpaid work. He was also given a conduct requirement where he is banned from using internet devices without permission and must allow his supervising officer access to any equipment on request. | Alexander Lawrie Photo: Alexander Lawrie
3. Passenger swore at airport staff
An angry plane passenger told airline staff to “f*** off” and gave them the middle finger during a shocking outburst at Edinburgh Airport. Raza Anum became enraged after her flight to London had been delayed for more than six hours and she could not book herself onto a later flight. The computer specialist confronted Ryanair staff before telling them to “f*** off” and making the obscene gesture when she was told they could not help her. Police were contacted and the 39-year-old was arrested and charged following the incident at the Capital airport in September last year. On March 14, Sheriff Wendy Sheehan sentenced Anum to pay a fine of £470 to mark the offence. Anum, of Mill Hill, London, pleaded guilty to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by shouting, swearing and acting in an aggressive manner at Edinburgh Airport on September 18 last year. She also had a not guilty plea accepted by the Crown to a charge of entering an unrestricted area at the airport without lawful authority on the same date. | Alexander Lawrie Photo: Alexander Lawrie
4. Banned from playparks
An Edinburgh man who was caught with a shocking haul of child abuse images has avoided a jail sentence - but has been banned from attending at children’s play parks. Martin Millar, 66, claimed he posed no actual threat to children when police raided his home in connection with him downloading the vile images due to him being impotent. During the raid last April, Millar was found to have more than 75,000 images and videos stored on computer devices depicting the sexual abuse of children as young as two-years-old. Millar, of Davidson Mains, Edinburgh, pleaded guilty to possessing the sick material when he appeared the capital’s sheriff court last month and he returned to the dock for sentencing on March 15. Sheriff Alistair Noble acknowledged the majority of the images were rated as Category C and that Millar had been of “previous good character”. The sheriff said: “I am satisfied that this is a case where custody is not necessary.” Millar was placed on the Sex Offenders Register and under the supervision of the social work department for three years. He was also placed on a restriction of liberty order where he will have to wear an electronic tag and stay within his home between 9pm and 7am for the next 12 months. The sheriff also imposed a conduct requirement where Millar is banned from attending at any children’s play parks and swing parks and cannot have any unsupervised contact with anyone under the age of 16. He will also have to allow any internet accessing devices to be inspected on request. | Alexander Lawrie Photo: Alexander Lawrie