News / Told to be of good behaviour
A MAN from Unst who admitted brandishing a bread knife in a mainland village in the small hours of the morning has had his sentence deferred for six months to show good behaviour.
Lerwick Sheriff Court heard on Wednesday that Gordon McBurnie, of Nikkavord Lea, Baltasound, had hallucinations as a result of mixing medication with alcohol, which may have contributed to his behaviour.
The 46 year old previously pled guilty at the court to possessing a bread knife without reasonable excuse at Staneybrake, Levenwick on 11 June.
He also behaved in a threatening or abusive manner by shouting, swearing and brandishing the knife at the same location that day.
Procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie told the court last month that McBurnie was seen by neighbours waving a knife around at 5am, which resulted in locals telling each other to lock their doors.
His behaviour continued for around five hours before the police were called.
In mitigation, defence agent Tommy Allan said at the court on Wednesday that his client’s use of alcohol and medication had “spiralled out of control”.
He suffered from “paranoid delusions, extreme anxiety and hallucinations” as a result, something which McBurnie found “deeply terrifying”, Allan said.
Social work reports showed “real progress” in the man’s life since the offence, Allan added, that McBurnie was enjoying more family support since moving back to near where his mother lived.
Citing McBurnie’s clean criminal record and the social work report, Sheriff Philip Mann decided to defer sentence until 18 January to allow him to be of good behaviour.
The Sheriff also granted a crown request to forfeit the knife.
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