Ex-cop admits attempting to destroy assault evidence

A former police officer has admitted repeatedly attempting to have evidence of an assault on a child destroyed.

Robert Veighey – later a court official at Lerwick Sheriff Court – pleaded guilty to attempting to pervert the course of justice minutes before a trial into the allegations was due to begin at Aberdeen Sheriff Court on Monday.

The ex-policeman, of Kirkpark in Scalloway tried to have another man destroy a mobile phone which contained text messages relating to the assault.

The phone belonged to India Lockyer, who later in proceedings admitted she was guilty of assault.

Veighey, 57 admitted he had repeatedly encouraged the man, Kyle Swannie, to destroy the evidence-containing phone on 25th January last year and that it was in an attempt to help Lockyer avoid prosecution, knowing police were investigating the assault, which happened between five and seven days earlier.

His denial of another charge – attempting to defeat the ends of justice – was accepted by the Crown.

Fiscal depute Colin Neilson had earlier rejected Lockyer’s guilty plea to a charge of assaulting the youngster by repeatedly striking and biting their head and biting and scratching their body to injury.

The Crown had also wanted to pursue further allegations that 26-year-old Lockyer, of Marthastoon, Aith, had assaulted the child.

But after difficulty in securing information from Mr Swannie, who claimed he “could not remember” anything about the early part of last year due to heavy drug use, the prosecutor accepted the earlier guilty plea without the extra allegations.

Both Veighey and Lockyer will appear at Aberdeen Sheriff Court for sentencing next month.

Alastair Gossip