Leigh Sutherland, whose bizarre online antics included pretending to be a solicitor and police officer, has been sentenced over a £56,000 wrecking spree while already serving nine years
A fake TikTok lawyer has dodged paying compensation for a £56,000 revenge rampage, it is reported.
Leigh Sutherland is already serving nine years for killing a grandmother in a horror crash. The online creator, whose bizarre online antics included pretending to be a solicitor and police officer, told his followers “there’s a defence for every offence.”
Now Sutherland, 32, has been sentenced again after admitting helping to smash up a house and garage during a bitter family feud.
The attack caused more than £56,000 worth of damage to a property in Mollinsburn, North Lanarkshire. Sutherland, of Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire, appeared via video link from prison at court on Friday.
Co-accused Stephen McGlynn, 49, was found guilty after trial. The targeted property belonged to one of McGlynn’s relatives.
The court heard Sutherland, McGlynn and other unknown accomplices destroyed fixtures, fittings and walls inside the house. They also damaged a garage, fencing and an external wall.
Defence solicitor Simon Gilmour said Sutherland is not due for release from prison until 2034.
Sheriff Paul Haran sentenced him to eight months in prison but ordered the term to run concurrently with his existing sentence, meaning he will serve no additional time behind bars.
The sheriff said: “There is no alternative to custody but, standing your current circumstances, I’m persuaded that the sentence should be concurrent to your existing one.”
McGlynn, who is on state benefits, was ordered to pay £12,000 compensation to the homeowner in monthly instalments of £500.
But Sheriff Haran acknowledged that Sutherland “isn’t in a position to pay compensation.”
McGlynn was also handed a six-month electronic tagging order and must remain at home between 7pm and 7am.
The sheriff told him: “I very much hope this is the last time I see you in court for shenanigans with your family.”
Earlier this year, Sutherland was jailed at the High Court after causing the death of 77-year-old Margaret Allan by dangerous driving.
The court heard he was speeding in a Ford Mondeo with defective brakes when he crashed into Mrs Allan’s Peugeot 108 in Cumbernauld in June 2023.
Mrs Allan suffered serious injuries and died three weeks later. A 10-year-old boy travelling with her was also taken to hospital.
Sutherland was driving at least 44mph in a 40mph zone at the time of the collision. After the crash, he walked away from the scene claiming he needed time to clear his head.
When challenged by a passing police officer, he blamed Mrs Allan for the collision and falsely claimed a Romanian man had been driving his car on a test drive.
Investigators later discovered the vehicle’s anti-lock braking system was defective and that its battery had not been properly secured.
