Shorts shrift from sheriff as accused gets dressing down

A FURIOUS sheriff gave an accused man a dressing down after he turned up at court dressed in shorts and a T-shirt as Scotland sizzled in soaring temperatures yesterday.

Sheriff James MacDonald slammed Ricky Sheridan’s casual designer gear yesterday at the Sheriff Court in Livingston – where the mercury reached a high of 21C ( 0F) – and warned that if he didn’t smarten up for his next court appearance, he’d find himself in hot water.

When lawyer Matthew Super told Livingston Sheriff Court that he was representing the accused, Sheriff MacDonald said: ‘Tell him if he appears in my court again dressed in shorts and a T-shirt I’ll find him in contempt of court.’

Sheridan, 28, was wearing a white Tommy Hilfiger top with the designer’s name written across the chest, along with drawstring swim shorts from the same label and trainers.

The accused, whose address was given as Addiewell Prison, West Lothian, was charged with assaulting two people, one of them a woman, and acting in a racially aggravated manner in the jail on March 10 last year.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges and had a trial fixed for December .

Sheridan’s alleged victims are understood to be prison officers working at Addiewell.