A prisoner corrected a sheriff who gave him too long a jail sentence.
James Kidd, 25, admitted building a tattoo gun from a spoon, a guitar string, a pen and a PlayStation controller in Perth Prison.
He then corrected the sheriff when he tried to jail him for three months, having his sentence cut to just 20 days.
Perth Sheriff Court was told that Kidd was serving a sentence in the maximum security prison when he managed to make the tattoo gun.
He admitted having the banned item at Perth Prison on December 18 2017.
Kidd’s solicitor Sandy Raeburn told the court: “He fashioned it to use on himself, to give himself tattoos, and he knows that was wrong. It was made from a spoon, a guitar string and ink from pens, along with the engine which came from a PlayStation controller.”
Sheriff Keith O’Mahoney said: “You have an extensive record of previous convictions and there is no alternative to imprisonment, which will be for three months.”
However, Kidd interrupted the sheriff and told him: “The maximum sentence is 30 days.” Mr Raeburn told the court that his client was correct and that the legislation on prohibited items limited the maximum jail term to 30 days.
After consulting the statute, Sheriff O’Mahoney said: “It does indeed seem that there is a maximum 30 days provided for in the legislation, so I’m bound by that.
“The sentence will be 20 days – reduced from 25 for the early plea, and that will run consecutive to your current sentence.”
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