News / Jail for man with metal bar up his sleeve
A LERWICK man has been jailed for eight months after being found guilty of possessing an offensive weapon and behaving aggressively.
Jamie Neill, of 191 Sandveien, appeared from custody to face trial at Lerwick Sheriff Court on Thursday accused of threatening a householder at another Sandveien address on 12 December.
The 40 year old was also charged with possessing a metal pole in the housing scheme on the same day.
During the trial, the court heard that Neill, who had been drinking before the incident, had attended the Sandveien address several times in the early hours, including once to ask for his lost phone.
Witnesses alleged that he began acting offensively when he was told to leave, and challenged the householder to a fight in a nearby park, which Neill denied.
The police were eventually called out, at which point Neill left the scene.
However procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie said Neill was then arrested after police searched him and found a metal pole up his sleeve.
Neill claimed from the witness stand that he took the “unwanted” item from the ground as it would make a good handlebar for his bike.
Sheriff Philip Mann was not swayed and agreed with Mackenzie that there was a more sinister motive behind the pole, which could have been used as a weapon or to threaten someone.
Defence solicitor Neil McRobert argued that leniency should be shown towards his client because of concerns over the “credibility” of the witness statements.
However the sheriff found Neill guilty on both charges, jailing him for a total of eight months backdated until 14 December when he was first remanded.
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