A ROW over parking at Gosford Estate has ended with a man appearing in court for the first time.

Jason Muir became enraged at the parking situation on a private road within the estate and began remonstrating with a driver and a woman.

Muir, of Craigielaw Farm Cottages, near Aberlady, shouted and swore at Stuart Rollo and Suzanne Cummings, calling the man an “a*******” during the heated exchange.

Fiscal depute Gavin Marshall told Edinburgh Sheriff Court that the private road allowed for public access and was situated within the Wemyss and March Estate on the outskirts of Longniddry.

Mr Marshall said that the incident took place near to the Gosford Bothy Farm Shop at about 3pm on October 18, 2020.

The fiscal said that the road was “busy with numerous cars parked” when Mr Rollo parked his vehicle “close to the junction of the main road”.

The court heard that this had “angered Mr Muir”, who approached Mr Rollo’s car to remonstrate about his parking.

During the verbal exchange, the court was told during last Friday’s hearing that there was “shouting back and forth” between the pair.

Mr Marshall said: “Mr Muir shouted: ‘This is a private road – you can’t park here. You a*******s blocked us in last week and I am sick of dealing with a*******s like you.’”

The fiscal said that due to Mr Muir’s aggressive behaviour, witnessed by passers by, the police were called.

Officers arrived shortly after to find all the parties still in attendance and, after taking details, they cautioned and charged Muir.

Lawyer Mary Moultrie said that “parking there had caused problems in the past” due to emergency vehicles being unable to pass safely.

Ms Moultrie said that police had been called out “regularly” to deal with the parking issue on the private road and, on this particular day, vehicles had been “prohibiting access”.

The solicitor said that her 52-year-old client had become angry after Mr Rollo had “refused to park elsewhere”.

The lawyer added that Muir had agreed to plead guilty, despite both Mr Rollo and Ms Cummings not being in attendance at court for the trial.

She said that Muir owned a cleaning company and was a South African national who had lived in Scotland for many years.

Ms Moultrie asked the court to impose an absolute discharge on the first offender, meaning he would have no criminal record, as “any conviction would give him problems” when travelling abroad. Sheriff Adrian Fraser refused the motion but decided instead to sentence Muir to an admonition.

The sheriff acknowledged that there had been “shouting and swearing on both sides” but said that Muir “should not have acted in this way”.

Muir pleaded guilty to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner and shouting and swearing at the pair at Gosford Estate on October 18, 2020.