Badenoch robber sent down for two years
A Kingussie man was jailed for a total of two years at Inverness Sheriff Court after admitting a total of six charges including assault and robbery.
Jason Mullen, designated as a Perth prisoner, appeared before Sheriff Gary Aitken after sentence had been deferred for a background report and was represented by Natalie Paterson.
At a previous hearing, the court was told that on the night of October 1 last year, Mullen appeared at a flat in Kingussie's High Street and demanded to be let in by the two occupants. Mullen was refused and told they were going to bed which prompted an aggressive outburst by Mullen who persistently failed to get into the property. He returned a little later, ringing the doorbell and banging on the door before walking away laughing.
A little over three weeks later on October 26, 2023 in Inverness city centre, 23 year old Mullen met two men, one of whom being Kyle Wignall that he knew. The pair had just bought a bottle of vodka, the court was told, and after a short conversation, Mullen became irate and punched Mr Wignall on the face.
Then he turned his attention to the other man, Liam Stewart and said: "I know you, give me your money and your phone."
The alcohol, a phone charger, a jacket were in his rucksack and Mullen robbed him of the items but was quickly traced by police to Poundland in the High Street where he told officers: "I am a bad bastard, you have no idea."
But after he was arrested, he refused to give officers a DNA sample at Burnett Road Police Station.
On March 7, 2024, Mullen was arrested for a breach of bail by returning to see the occupants of the flat in Kingussie and when he was in the back of the police van he repeatedly spat in the vehicle and then in a cell at Burnett Road Police Station.
Mullen pleaded guilty to threatening behaviour; assault to injury and robbery; obstructing police in the course of their duty; breach of bail and culpable and reckless conduct.
Ms Paterson told Sheriff Aitken that her client, who had been on remand since March 8, expected a prison sentence and said much of his offending was due to drug misuse and poor mental health.
She added: "He has been seven months clean of any illegal drugs. He wants an offence free lifestyle and is motivated to change."