The head waiter at a top Perthshire hotel has been jailed after a drunken threesome ended in violence.
Steven Pickett – described as a “Jekyll and Hyde character” – flew into a jealous rage after feeling left out during an ill-fated ménage a trois at a house in Aberfeldy.
The 47-year-old brandished a kitchen knife at his rival male and told him: “This isn’t on.”
As he advanced, he was thumped over the head with a bottle of tequila by the third, female, party member.
When she fled the house, Picket dropped the blade and began pummelling the male, leaving him battered and bruised.
Pickett, head waiter at the Grandtully Hotel, near Pitlochry, appeared at Perth Sheriff Court and admitted behaving in a threatening manner towards the pair at a house in Cluny Crescent on September 20.
He also admitted assaulting the man to his injury.
He was jailed for two years.
Sheriff Gillian Wade told him: “You have got an appalling record.
“You are quite clearly a very violent individual when you set your mind to it.
“While you could lead an entirely prosocial life, you choose not to do so and you need to be punished accordingly.”
She added: “There certainly isn’t an alternative to custody.”
Argument during threesome
Fiscal depute Michael Dunlop told the court on the evening of September 19, the woman invited Pickett to her house for a drink.
“They both consumed a large quantity of alcohol together,” he said.
When the drink ran out, the pair went to a nearby shop to buy more and met the third person, a man known to both of them.
The fiscal depute said: “They invited him to accompany them back to the house to continue drinking alcohol.
“At around 10pm, a consensual threesome took place between the three parties.
“There was a high level of alcohol consumption that night, including a half-bottle of tequila, a quantity of beer and two bottles of red wine.”
After an argument, Pickett stormed out but later returned and slept in a bedroom with the homeowner.
The morning after
Mr Dunlop said: “At about 10am, the accused was still angry about the night before.
“It seems he was unhappy due to certain acts (the woman) had conducted on (the other man).
“She formed the opinion that the accused was jealous.
“She told the accused she was not in a relationship and she could do as she pleased.
“They remained in the bedroom for most of the morning.”
The court heard that at about 2pm, the pair made their way into the living room where the other man was still asleep on the couch.
“The accused entered the kitchen, then came back in holding a bread knife described as eight inches long, with a serrated edge,” said the fiscal depute.
“(The complainers) feared for their safety, due to the unpredictable actions of the accused the night before.
“The accused approached (the male) holding the knife and was shouting incoherently.”
Mr Dunlop said he was told to leave and the house owner “who believed the accused was about to cause a great deal of harm, struck the accused on the side of the head with the tequila bottle.”
He dropped the knife but began to punch the man on his head until the victims were able to run from the house and contact police.
Accused wasn’t as consensual as others
Pickett was still inside the property, in an upstairs bedroom, with a cut to his right eyebrow, when police arrived.
His male victim had a swollen nose, black eye and bruising to the left side of his head and ear.
When arrested, Pickett told officers: “He deserved it.”
Solicitor Mike Tavendale, defending, said his client had served time in jail before.
“Since his release, he found full time employment as a head waiter at a hotel in Perthshire.
“It seems to be like a Jekyll and Hyde character.”
Mr Tavendale said: “The court heard that this was a consensual threesome but I think my client perhaps wasn’t as consensual as other participating parties.
“He took exception to what was happening within the incident, shall we call it.
“It doesn’t excuse his conduct but that was the catalyst.”
Pickett had been left scarred after being thumped with the tequila bottle, the court heard.
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