A horseshoe-wielding Angus homophobe has been put on an electronic ankle tag following a summer rammy with his terrified neighbours.
Christopher Law picked up the heavy items in the hunt for a weapon during the drunken fall-out at his Forfar home.
He then blasted a police officer with homophobic abuse and told him: “I know people in Dundee who will put you in the River Tay.”
Law, of Threewells Drive, Forfar appeared for sentence before Sheriff Derek Reekie at the town’s sheriff court after he admitted behaving in a threatening manner towards four people outside his home on June 26 last year.
He also pleaded guilty to making homophobic remarks to a police officer en route to Dundee HQ and making threats of violence.
The court heard Law had been seen shouting up at the window of his home around 4.30pm, where his partner was sleeping inside.
He appeared under the influence and threw items up at the window before tearing cabling off the exterior wall of the block.
Neighbours asked him what he was doing and he told them he would get friends from Dundee to attack them.
One witness tried to back off, but as Law approached him with his hand hidden from view the man punched the accused out of fear he was about to be hit with something.
Law got up and was said to be extremely angry, shouting that he would stab and kill the witnesses.
He then went into a nearby garden and came back with two large cast iron horseshoes, running towards the frightened witnesses.
Police were called and they found the 37-year-old hiding behind a parked car.
Defiant Law told police the neighbours were “going to get battered”.
He said: “See my mates, they’re bigger and harder.
“I swear they’re going to get a healthy, healthy hiding.
“I’ll take a year in jail – at the end of the day I’ve got more contacts.”
On the journey from Forfar to police headquarters in Dundee, Law again became aggressive, kicking the cell door of the van and shouting homophobic abuse.
He told one officer: “The next time I see you, you’re getting a doing.
“I know people in Dundee that will put you in the River Tay.”
Defence solicitor Billy Rennie said Law’s behaviour had been “a lot of bluster”.
“His record has only a road traffic offence and two contempt of court matters for not attending court.
“This is a fairly spectacular arrival in the court in terms of his record to date.”
The solicitor said the principle complainers were neighbours with whom Law had earlier fallen out.
“He had two or three weeks of drinking around the time this happened and this was the culmination of a whole series of matters.”
Sheriff Reekie told Law: “Undoubtedly custody would be an option to me.
“The narrative was fairly extreme, to say the least.
“It must have been a horrifying incident for everyone involved.
“You got yourself into such a state of intoxication that you really had no recall at all. You couldn’t remember if you got whacked.”
Law was placed on a restriction of liberty order confining him to his home from 7pm to 7am for 135 days.
