Court / Men jailed after heading to Lerwick home to ‘enforce drug debt’

TWO men from the Scottish mainland have been sent to prison after turning up uninvited at a Lerwick house and threatening its occupants – a mother and her child.

Sheriff Ian Cruickshank said at the town’s court on Thursday that he was left in no doubt that both men were in Shetland to “enforce a drug debt” after flying north from Glasgow.

Derek Denholm, of Airdrie, faced trial at Lerwick Sheriff Court on Thursday, while Marc Kerr, of Muirhead in North Lanarkshire, had previously admitted charges.

Both men, who appeared from custody, were charged with behaving in a threatening or abusive manner at a house in Lerwick on 29 August this year.

The charge stated that they, whilst acting together, attended uninvited, repeatedly struck the door and demanded to speak to someone they believed lived there.

The charged continued to state that the pair also shouted and swore, repeatedly uttering threats of violence and breaking a glass panel by throwing a stone.

Forty four year old Denholm was found guilty of the charge following a trial, whilst Kerr, 28, had previously pleaded guilty.

Kerr had also previously admitted restricting, obstructing or hindering a police constable on the same day and acting aggressively towards officers – all while on bail.

In Denholm’s trial witnesses who lived in the house said the pair turned up at about 8pm to demand to speak to a person they believed stayed there, with a possible debt totalling tens of thousands said to be mentioned.

They said the two men were “very aggressive” in their demands. One of the occupants ultimately called the police before a stone was thrown through a glass panel on the door as they left, the court heard.

Denholm – who was holding two bags during the offence – said he was in Shetland because of a chance came up to work on “the wind farm” through his friend Kerr.

He told the court that he went to the house believing he would be staying with the person they were seeking, and that he stood back and kept a distance from Kerr, who went to the door.

But after questioning by procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie Denholm was unable to name the company he claimed he would be working for.

Mackenzie suggested Denholm’s version of events was a “pack of nonsense” and “utter lies” – but whilst on the stand the accused denied he was in Shetland to collect a drug debt.

Denholm’s defence agent Mr Manini said his client was “told by someone he trusted that there was work” in Shetland.

But Sheriff Ian Cruickshank said he did not find Denholm to be a credible witness and found him guilty of the charge.

During sentencing the sheriff said there was no hesitation in his mind that the two men had been sent to Shetland to enforce a drug debt.

Kerr was given a total of 11 months in prison, backdated to when he first entered custody on 31 August.

Denholm was ordered to complete 106 days of an unexpired prison sentence, with nine months added on top.