Court / Social work reports called over man’s ‘bizarre’ behaviour

A MAN whose “bizarre” behaviour saw him smash glasses and throw knifes and ice cream at walls inside a Lerwick house has had his sentence deferred until February.

Jack Johnson, of Wormadale, Whiteness, appeared at Lerwick Sheriff Court on Thursday to admit a handful of offences carried out between 2017 and 2019.

Sheriff Ian Cruickshank said some of the 28-year-old’s behaviour left him “speechless”.

He deferred sentence on all matters to 12 February to obtain a criminal justice social work report to find out more background details.

Johnson admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner at an address on Lerwick’s Hill Grind on 31 March 2018.

The charge included smashing glasses, throwing furniture about, smashing a mirror, throwing ice cream and liquids over the walls and ceiling and throwing knifes into internal walls, as well as shouting, screaming and behaving aggressively towards his then partner.

Procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie said while Johnson stayed at home the woman went on a birthday bus before ultimately heading to a friend’s house.

At around 9.50pm she received a text message from a neighbour, the court heard, saying they could hear “thrashing about and screaming” coming from her home.

The complainer read the message at around 11pm and headed back to the home to find Johnson “looking possessed”.

Mackenzie said there was smashed glass everywhere, with the woman failing to get “any sense” from Johnson.

“He was screaming at her,” the fiscal told court. “When I say screaming, I literally mean screaming. It was not shouting words. It was simply a noise.”

The woman went next door to her neighbour, while a friend of Johnson’s received a Facebook message asking him to come to the house.

The friend was “taken aback” by the scene when he arrived, Mackenzie said, with ice cream all over the walls and smashed glass around the room.

The fiscal said everyone that was upright was on the ground, while there were holes in the wall and knifes on the floor.

They started to clean the room, and when the complainer entered the house at 7am, the clean-up was still going on.

The complainer also noticed damage to a kitchen bin, smashed bowls and plates and a curtain rail bent in half, the court heard.

“It took a whole day simply to tidy up,” Mackenzie said.

The fiscal said the value of the damage was not clear, but it “pales into insignificance” compared to the effect on the complainer.

Defence agent Tommy Allan said his client was “struggling with a number of things in his life” at the time and admitted that some of his behaviour was “bizarre”.

The solicitor, who said Johnson was no longer based in Shetland, will give more detailed representation when the matter returns to court next month.

Johnson also admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner at the same address on 25 February 2017 by shouting, screaming and behaving aggressively towards his then partner.

He further pleaded guilty to shouting and swearing at the woman and aggressively attempting to approach her at Captain Flint’s pub in Lerwick on 15 June last year.

He did this while under a court condition not to approach or contact her, and when he was due to appear at Lerwick Sheriff Court a few days later.

Sheriff Cruickshank adjourned all matters until 12 February for the preparation of a social work report and a restriction of liberty assessment.

He decided to continue consideration of a non-harassment order until the same date, with Johnson’s bail continued in the meantime.