A NEIGHBOUR dispute over a noisy dog has led to one East Saltoun resident appearing in court.

Robert Worrell was alleged to have used derogatory and prejudicial remarks towards disabled neighbour Graham Henderson during a row in May last year.

Mr Henderson, 54, told Edinburgh Sheriff Court that he and his now deceased brother David suffered from muscular dystrophy and had to use walking aids such as wheelchairs and walking sticks.

Mr Henderson said he, his brother and his father were all in his garden at the village’s Hall Terrace, doing some gardening work, when they were disturbed by Worrell’s dog, which was barking for about 20 minutes.

After they shouted at the dog, 71-year-old Worrell turned up in Mr Henderson’s garden demanding to know what the shouting was all about.

The disabled man said Worrell made a derogatory remark towards his brother by saying: “Oh, I didn’t know there was another one of your kind”.

It was then alleged that Worrell pushed a walking stick into the chest of Mr Henderson’s father.

Worrell denied the allegations and stood trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court last week, where he was cleared of the assault charge.

But Sheriff Alistair Noble did find him guilty of uttering the prejudicial remarks during the incident on May 27 last year.

Mr Henderson and his father Alexander both gave evidence to the court, claiming Worrell was aggressive towards them and made the remarks towards the brother.

Worrell was eventually ushered from the garden and the police were called in to deal with the matter three days later.

Alexander Henderson, 83, claimed that Worrell also made a menacing comment by saying he had been “a slaughter man and he knew how to put them down”.

He also added that Worrell had told him: “You have had one child [with a disability], why did you bother having a second one?”

Following all the evidence, Sheriff Noble found Worrell guilty of uttering the remarks but cleared him of the assault.

The sheriff deferred sentence on Worrell for him to be of good behaviour for the next six months.