JORDAN MCISAAC AND DANIEL INNES FROM BANFF AND INVERURIE SENTENCED FOR HORRIFIC GECKO CRUELTY IN ABERDEENSHIRE

In a disturbing case that has shocked the community, Jordan McIsaac, born on December 24, 1998, of Temple View, Banff, and Daniel Innes, born around 1997, of Brands Butt, Inverurie, have been convicted of heinous acts of animal cruelty that took place during a house party in Aberdeenshire. The incident involved the brutal killing of two pet geckos, which has sparked widespread outrage and condemnation.

According to court reports, the two young men engaged in a reckless and malicious rampage that culminated in the killing of the geckos. The violence was part of a larger destructive spree that saw Daniel Innes wreck a house in Aberchirder, causing approximately £5,000 worth of damage. During this destructive episode, Innes and McIsaac inflicted harm on the household pets, with one gecko being dropped onto the floor where it died, and the other being violently killed in a blender. The gruesome act was captured on a mobile phone belonging to the teenage son of the householder, who was asleep at the time.

Witnesses and the victim, Amanda Bibby, expressed their horror at the cruelty. The walls of the kitchen were reportedly stained with blood following the killing of one of the geckos in the blender, highlighting the brutality of the act. The pair also used the householder’s phone to film the crime, further demonstrating their callousness.

During the initial court proceedings, Sheriff Philip Mann had deferred sentencing, giving McIsaac and Innes an opportunity to demonstrate remorse. The sheriff suggested that they could potentially volunteer with animal charities as a form of restitution. However, when no organizations were willing to accept them, the court reconvened, and both offenders were remanded into custody. Sheriff Mann expressed his disappointment, stating that the pair had failed to show sufficient remorse for their actions.

In response to the sentencing, Amanda Bibby welcomed the decision but emphasized that she believed a lifetime ban on owning animals should have been imposed. She described the crime as “chillingly evil” and one of the most difficult cases she had encountered in her legal career. The case drew significant media attention, and Sheriff Mann acknowledged that both McIsaac and Innes had suffered due to the publicity, claiming they had been assaulted during this period.

In his remarks, Sheriff Mann addressed the young offenders directly, saying, “You’re still young men, you’ll still be able to make a proper and productive life for yourself. I hope you’ll use the period in custody to good effect. I think you’ll find there are opportunities there.”

Additional to the animal cruelty charges, McIsaac received a sentence of two months’ detention for a violent assault that occurred in 2016. His solicitor, Leonard Burkinshaw, pleaded for leniency, highlighting that McIsaac had sold his Xbox and weights bench to help his mother donate money to the Scottish SPCA and Cats Protection charity. Burkinshaw also noted that McIsaac had plans to start college and aspired to become a fisherman, expressing that he deeply regrets his involvement and the trauma caused.

Similarly, Innes’s solicitor, Margaret Nash, revealed that her client had written a letter of apology to Amanda Bibby, though it had not been passed on due to the emotional state of the victim. After the sentencing, Bibby expressed her surprise at the length of the sentences but welcomed the court’s decision, stating, “Hopefully it will set a precedent for other animal cases.” She added, “I think you should be banned from keeping animals for life if you can kill. But it’s a lot more than what I thought they would get. I hope it’s a lesson learned for them.”

Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Liam Kerr commented on the case, condemning the actions of McIsaac and Innes. He stated, “These thugs appear to have shown no remorse whatsoever for their actions, and I think most people would agree this crime justifies a custodial sentence. It beggars belief that anyone would consider that this was acceptable behaviour. The fact that this stomach-churning offence was filmed using the teenage son’s own mobile phone makes it even worse. This pair will at least now have some time to think about their actions, and the awful impact that this horrible stunt will have had on the family involved.”

In the end, both McIsaac and Innes were sentenced to 36 and 33 weeks in prison respectively for animal cruelty. They were also disqualified from owning animals indefinitely, marking a stern legal response to their callous acts in Aberdeenshire.