A ‘nightmare’ neighbour threatened to murder a police sergeant during a drunken outburst at a Perthshire farm.
Grant Hunter drove to the steading near Abernethy while more than four times the drink-drive limit.
The 39-year-old ranted and brandished a Stanley Knife, before getting back in his car and shouting: “I’m going to ram it.”
Hunter appeared at Perth Sheriff Court and admitted drink-driving and acting in a threatening or abusive manner at Jamesfield Farm, near his former home, on May 20.
Last year, he was ordered by the court not to go near another set of neighbours, after he churned up part of their garden with an industrial digger.
Construction worker Hunter was banned from the road and warned he could face jail.
Picked up at the roadside
Fiscal depute Joanne Ritchie told the court: “At the time of this incident, Sergeant Gordon Miller was on duty and in uniform while he was working from home.
“At about 12.55pm, he was driving his vehicle and observed in his mirror a male and female walking along a farm track.
“On getting closer, he recognised both the accused and his partner Sarah Hiddleston.
“He saw that Ms Hiddleston was upset.
“On recognising Sergeant Miller, she accepted a lift home from him.”
Once inside the car, she asked to be taken to her neighbours at Jamesfield Farm.
“She informed Sgt Miller that the accused had been drinking,” said Ms Ritchie.
Threats to kill
“Moments later, the accused attended at Jamesfield Farm.
“He was driving a Renault Megane.
“The accused was clearly drunk and told Ms Hiddleston: ‘You’ve crossed the line, you wouldn’t just leave it.’
“Sgt Miller told the accused that he was drunk and should not have been driving.”
The fiscal depute told the court: “The accused reacted angrily to this and began shouting and swearing.”
He shouted at the police sergeant: “I’m going to f***ing kill you”.
Hunter then got back into the car and was heard to say: “I’m going to ram it.”
“The accused got out of the vehicle and continued to rant,” said Ms Ritchie.
He said: “I’m going to kill the c***, I’m going to slit his throat.”
Ms Ritchie told the court: “It was perceived that these comments were not aimed at anyone in particular.
“The accused then produced a Stanley knife with its blade out.
“He held it out in front of everyone and stated: ‘I’m going to kill them.'”
Hunter agreed to hand over the knife to his girlfriend.
He sat down, cried and apologised to Sergeant Miller.
Alcohol issue
The court heard Hunter tried to leave in his car but found the keys were no longer in the ignition.
Instead, he walked away through a field towards his partner’s home at Fairfield House.
“Officers attended and was traced that afternoon,” said Ms Ritchie.
Hunter’s solicitor told the court: “He clearly has an alcohol problem that requires to be addressed.”
Sheriff William Wood said: “It won’t have escaped your notice that these are serious matters that have been raised on indictment.
“The court must consider the possibility of a custodial sentence.”
Hunter, of Craik Terrace, Markinch, was released on bail and will return to the dock to learn his fate on September 1.
Land feud
Last year, we told how Hunter’s neighbours Peter and Barbara Doogan felt “terrorised” by his antics.
The pair, who lived just 16-feet apart in rural Newburgh, have been embroiled in an 18-month dispute over shared land.
The construction worker took an industrial digger to a shared patch of ground in April, before fighting with police on a nearby road.
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