FORMER Rangers owner Craig Whyte faced a barrage of criticism from onlookers as he appeared in court to explain why he had failed to turn up for the trial of his two former housekeepers.
Whyte was greeted with shouts of "crook" and "scum" from workmen and other passers-by who had gathered to watch his arrival at Inverness Sheriff Court.
A warrant had been granted for his arrest last month after he failed to turn up at the same court to give evidence in the case against Terence Horan and Jane Hagan, who deny stealing items from his home, Castle Grant, near Grantown-on-Spey.
The warrant was not executed and a personal attendance was arranged between his lawyers and the procurator fiscal's office.
Sheriff Margaret Neilson deferred consideration of Whyte's potential contempt of court until he has given evidence. He was released on bail and will not know his fate until after his former housekeepers' trial, which begins on September 12.
Sheriff Neilson said: "Considerable inconvenience was caused to the court and significant inconvenience to 11 witnesses who all knew they had to turn up."
His lawyer, Paul Kavanagh, apologised on behalf of his client and said: "It was a genuine misunderstanding."
Whyte bought Sir David Murray's 85% controlling shareholding in Rangers for £1 in 2011. He went on to take Rangers into administration after alleged non-payment of £9 million in PAYE and VAT.
As he arrived at court yesterday, a security barrier prevented Whyte from driving his Audi to within feet of the courtroom. Instead he was forced to run the gauntlet of photographers and the public as he walked the 100 yards up the hill just before 9.55am.
When his case was called at 10.25am he walked into the dock and replied "Yes" when asked if he was Craig Thomas Whyte.
Mr Kavanagh then told Sheriff Neilson: "Contrary to media reports, Mr Whyte was not a fugitive since the arrest warrant was granted on June 10.
"He genuinely believed he had been counter-manded by a letter from the Crown. He could not attend that day as he was abroad. The first he knew that he should have been there as a witness was when his wife phoned him from the court.
"This is a matter for which he wants to give evidence. He is under no illusion he has to be here on September 12. An employment tribunal also rests upon the outcome. He has no previous criminal convictions. This was a genuine misunderstanding."
Mr Kavanagh asked that Whyte be simply ordained to appear as a witness on September 12, but fiscal depute Heather Swan asked the Sheriff to admit him on bail on the standard conditions.
Sheriff Neilson told Whyte: "Eleven other witnesses knew they should have been here that day. Considerable and significant inconvenience was caused by his failure to appear."
She released Whyte on bail until September 12 for consideration of his potential contempt of court.
Whyte gave his Monaco address as his bail address, rather than Castle Grant which is the subject of live civil court proceedings for re-possession if he fails to pay unpaid loan payments to the Bank of Scotland.
Horan, 53, and Hagan, 50, who both now live in Bicester, deny stealing an array of items from Castle Grant between June 1 and September 7, 2012.
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