Despite a sheriff rejecting a Perth man’s Christmas Eve bail request to be with his partner, he turned up at her home uninvited - just hours later.
But she dialled 999 - and 26-year-old Mark Lawson was arrested and spent the festive season in the cells at Perth Police HQ.
He appeared in the dock before the same sheriff just three days later - and was remanded in custody until January 22 after flagrantly flouting his bail conditions.
Deferring sentence for a background report, Sheriff Lindsay Foulis raged: “You were effectively putting two fingers up to this court - pure and simply - within nine hours of appearing before me.
“What is it that you - and others - don’t seem to understand?” he asked.
“What is it in your psyche - and that of others - that they don’t understand when the person sitting in judgement says ‘no.’
“If you don’t comply with court orders, then your liberty is seriously at risk.
“What’s difficult about understanding that?”
Lawson, who gave his address as c/o of his father at Doo’cot Court, admitted failing to comply with a December 17 bail order issued at Perth Sheriff Court banning him from going to his partner’s flat in Rutherford Court.
He breached that by going there on December 24 and also on December 17.
Lawson sobbed in the dock on December 24 after Sheriff Foulis rejected an application by his lawyer, David Holmes, to vary his client’s bail conditions.
Mr Holmes said the couple were “keen to be reunited” and urged the sheriff to allow him to visit her - and a young child - at Christmas.
But depute fiscal Eilidh Robertson opposed the relaxation of the conditions - and that was upheld by Sheriff Foulis.
Depute fiscal Matthew Kerr told the court on Friday that the complainer had contacted the police about 9.20pm on December 24, using the emergency 999 number.
“Police officers immediately attended and the accused was traced within the property about 9.30pm.”
Mr Holmes explained that the accused had gone to the address in Rutherford Court to collect his belongings.
He was “concerned emotionally” for the young child and his family and had also taken alcohol.
That had led to him “foolishly” flouting the bail conditions.
“It would be in his interests to have a background report prepared and it may help him in addressing the alcohol problem,” added the lawyer.
Remanding him in custody to await completion of that report, Sheriff Foulis said: “At some point the penny will drop with the likes of yourself and others.”
The sheriff said there was a “significant risk” of Lawson re-offending - and he had also been in a position of trust.
