Prison for man who leapt out of court dock

JUSTICE has finally caught up with a man who leapt out of the dock. Almost two years after sparking a manhunt when he fled Forfar Sheriff Court after being given a 100-day jail term, John Crombie has been ordered to spend seven months behind bars.

In October 2018, Crombie triggered a police hunt when he avoided capture by court security and police after fleeing the courtroom.

He made his bid for freedom seconds after being told he was going to custody for posting threatening messages to his expartner on Facebook.

Runaway Crombie was at large for just 15 minutes before police collared him at the town’s Tesco store, just a few hundred yards away.

The 43-year-old has now returned to the dock before the same sheriff from whom he did a runner and was told there was no dodging prison this time.

Crombie, of Inveraldie Crescent, Tealing, admitted absconding from the court in what his lawyer described as “very poor consequential thinking”.

Solicitor Gary Foulis added: “He wants to be able to put himself in a position to help the family unit and he now knows he has put himself in a very serious position.”

He said his client was subject to a community payback order, due to finish in December.

Crombie had previously admitted posting what were described as “sinister” messages on social media and making threats to his former partner in September 2018.

Sheriff Murray told Crombie he was the “author of his own misfortune” after taking the decision to bolt from the courtroom.

He said: “I accept it was a decision taken on the spur of the moment, but it was a decision you took deliberately. It is aggravated by the fact it took place in this very courtroom.

“You have a horrific record over 25 years. It is vital public confidence in the administration of justice is maintained and there is no alternative to a custodial sentence.”

CHARITY Perth and Kinross Association of Voluntary Service (PKAVS) is to highlight some its key mental health and wellbeing work through a gardening workshop.

PKAVS creative wellbeing worker Kirsty Davidson McKay, pictured, will host the online workshop as part of the Horsecross-run Fun Palaces event next month.

AN out-of-work Dundee man says he is “gutted” after being scammed out of money he was planning to spend on his family’s Christmas.

George McPhee, 55, was called by someone pretending to offer him a loan, and said all he needed to do was buy a £50 Amazon gift card.

However, after buying the gift card the scammer pressured George into buying more, and ended up taking £150 of his money.

George said: “I’m not working at the moment so when the guy phoned and said all I needed to do was get a £50 gift card from the shop, I got on the bus to Asda to buy it.

“I scratched off the card details and gave it to him, and then he said ‘sorry, you have a poor credit rating because you are not working’, so he asked me to go back and get another £100 gift card to get a bigger loan.

“But after that he asked for another £100 and at that point it