On March 22, 1597, the judicial authorities in Aberdeen convened to hear the case of Johne Leyis, a married man of lower socioeconomic standing who earned his livelihood as a stabler. The proceedings against Johne and his daughters were deeply intertwined with the broader legal scrutiny of that period, as his name had previously been brought to the attention of the court through the testimonies of Johnnet Wischert and Thomas Leyis, both of whom identified him as an accomplice.
During the trial, the court evaluated the charges of witchcraft and sorcery leveled against the family. Ultimately, the judges absolved Johne and his daughters of these primary accusations of supernatural practice. However, the court did find them guilty of maintaining forbidden associations with individuals already known to be witches, specifically the aforementioned Wischert and Thomas Leyis. Consequently, the sentence imposed upon Johne was not execution, but rather formal banishment from the region.
