A 41-year-old Fife man was caught red-handed with two kitchen knives in public in Lochgelly.
Dunfermline Sheriff Court heard John Harmon was in the passenger seat of a car in the town’s Auchterderran Road when police approached him in relation to another matter.
Procurator fiscal depute Jamie Hilland told the court officers saw him pull an object from his hooded top and place it by his right thigh.
The fiscal depute said: “He was removed from the vehicle and a large kitchen knife was recovered from the passenger seat where he had been sitting.
“He was then searched.
“A second knife was found in his jumper pocket, which was a small kitchen knife.”
Harmon, of Melville Street in Lochgelly, pled guilty to illegally having the knives on September 27 2020.
Sheriff Charles Macnair noted one of Harmon’s previous convictions – more than a decade ago – was for knife possession.
Defence lawyer Chris Sneddon said his client had struggled with drug addiction for years and since this offence, as attempted to address his problems.
Sheriff Macnair told Harmon: “It remains the case that a second offence of this sort of carrying a knife, in this case two knives, is one where it is very unlikely you will receive a non-custodial sentence.”
The sheriff adjourned sentencing until July 7 for background reports and released him on bail.
Rapist may not be jailed
Dundee rapist Robbie Thompson may not be jailed for his crimes. The 20-year-old, who raped a girl seven-years younger, has learning disabilities which may make an alternative more appropriate, the High Court heard. A further hearing has been ordered.
Gassed at sentence
A migrant Christmas tree farm worker caught with a deadly CS gas canister has narrowly avoided a prison sentence.
Petrica Obreja had the prohibited weapon during a raid by Home Office and Immigration Department officers in October 2020.
At the time, Sheriff Gillian Wade said Obreja was a possible “flight risk” and remanded him in custody until his sentencing date.
On Thursday, his solicitor Taylor Muir told the court: “If he wasn’t aware of custody being an option when he came into court four weeks ago, he certainly was when he got remanded.”
Mr Muir said Obreja had been living in three-bed static caravan owned by the Kilted Christmas Tree Company at Tillyochie Farm.
He said the canister had been left behind by a colleague but Obreja accepted that he should have disposed of it.
“The impact of being remanded has been significant on his family,” said Mr Muir.
Sheriff Craig McSherry told Obreja: “The possession of any controlled item which falls within the provision of the Firearms Act is something that is of great concern to the public and to the court.”
He said: “In this case, this was an item that could be easily concealed and could be used in ways to harm individuals.
“It is not suggested that you possessed this item for those purposes but that is why they are so tightly controlled.”
Obreja was ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work. He was told the sentence was a direct alternative to custody.
Paedophile dies in prison
Dundee paedophile Gordon Fraser has died behind bars, a year after being jailed for historical sex attacks on two children. Fraser was imprisoned for seven years after being found guilty by a jury last October.
County lines disrupted
Police Scotland Fife Division reported 21-year-old Demtre Dobson was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment at Edinburgh Sheriff Court after being found guilty of the supply of class A drugs.
Dobson from Birmingham, was stopped by officers from Fife’s Operation Pinnacle, at Edinburgh Bus Station, on November 28 2021.
Police believed he was en route to Fife as part of a county lines drug dealing operation.
Following a search, he was found in possession £3600 of heroin and £11,000 of cocaine.
Detective Constable Calum McDougall said: “We welcome the sentence and it highlights those involved in county lines drug dealing in Fife communities, will be rigorously pursued and brought to justice.
“The county lines model shows crime does not respect borders.”
The full caseload of the Dundee Crime and Courts Team can be found here.
