Moray defendant pleads guilty to cutting car brakes of innocent man

A man who cut the brakes of a car he wrongly thought belonged to paedophile was lucky not to be charged with attempted murder, a Sheriff has said.

The brand new Dacia Duster targeted by Callum Stewart actually belonged to someone entirely innocent.

The 25-year-old appeared at Inverness Sheriff Court today where he admitted committing the offence on June 18 last year.

Sheriff Gary Aitken said: “This is borderline attempted murder. I can think of few things more vindictive or potentially catastrophic than cutting the brake cables and hoses of a car."

Deferring sentence until December 24 for a background report, the sheriff added: "You should be under no illusion that you are facing a potentially very long prison sentence."

Fiscal depute Alison Young told the court that the Dacia owner had parked his car at his mother's house before getting a bus to an event, intending to collect it again in a few days time.

She added that Stewart had been drinking with a friend who told him that a paedophile lived in the street.

Ms Young continued: "The friend pointed out an address and Stewart went up to the property. CCTV filmed him and his DNA was found on the car.

“When the owner returned to pick up his car, he switched it on and the alarm sounded that there was a fault with the brakes. The car was driveable but if he had taken it out, it would not have been able to stop.

"The owner is not a paedophile. The accused got the wrong house and the wrong car."

When traced by police and arrested, Stewart denied carrying out the crime.

Stewart of Speymouth Drive, Mosstodloch, was represented in court by defence solicitor Stephen Carty.

The lawyer said his client recognised the seriousness of the offence and he would reserve his comments of mitigation until sentencing.