A convicted killer thought ‘aliens were coming to get him’ during a legal-high-fuelled rampage in Dundee city centre, a court heard.
Alan Stirling, challenged members of the public to fight after ingesting heroin and new psychoactive substances during the incident this summer.
Stirling, who was jailed for four-and-a-half years in 2007 for battering a friend to death in a row over a games console, even tried to gag the Courier from reporting the hearing, unsuccessfully demanding a sheriff impose a ‘media blackout’.
Fiscal depute Joanne Smith told the court: “At the time of the incident it was around midday and the accused was heavily intoxicated.
“There were members of public around the Overgate Shopping Centre.
“Police on patrol attended a call to the city centre because of concern for the accused who was kneeling in the street.
“He appeared to be under the influence of some substances and was highly agitated.
“He was asked to move on.
“At around 2pm he was seen again on Barrack Street walking towards the entrance to the shopping centre.
“He was shouting ‘who’s wanting a fight?’ towards members of the public.
“He was arrested and taken to police HQ where he told officers he had used ‘legal highs’.”
John Boyle, defending, said: “He had taken heroin and legal highs to such an extent, he was almost hallucinating and believed aliens were coming to get him.”
Stirling, 39, of Pitalpin Court, Dundee admitted behaving in a threatening and abusive manner during the incident on June 5.
He pled guilty to shouting, swearing and challenging members of the public to fight while he was on bail.
Sentence was deferred until February 11.