A dangerous Angus man on a potential life sentence for threatening health centre staff in Dundee has been given a further prison term.
Mark Law barged into his neighbour’s home in Montrose and demanded cash, despite him having a £20 note she had already given him hanging out of his dressing gown pocket.
The 44-year-old also threatened to stab his neighbour in a disturbing phone call to NHS 24 after seemingly becoming “overwhelmed” by how he had behaved earlier that day.
Law – currently in prison after threatening to stab staff at the Alloway Centre and a woman in Monifieth in 2021 – was given a further custodial sentence after pleading guilty to a number of charges committed on April 2 2021.
Kill threats
Depute fiscal Calum Brown told Dundee Sheriff Court: “The accused and witness Zoe Cormie lived across from one another in the same block of flats.
“At around 2:15am on April 2 2021 Ms Cormie was in her living room with another when the accused made his way into the living room.
“He told Ms Cormie he wanted to borrow money.
“Ms Cormie said she had already put £20 through his letterbox.
“She pointed out she could see the note hanging out the pocket of his dressing gown.
“He threatened he was going to ‘kill’ Ms Cormie.
“Police attended at 2:35 and saw wood fragments on the floor and glass panels on the front door were damaged.”
Terrifying NHS 24 call
Later that day Law phoned NHS 24 and spoke to a psychiatric nurse.
He told he intended to return home to “stab” his neighbour.
After being arrested at Arbroath bus station, he also told police he wanted to “stab his neighbour”.
He admitted charges of on April 2 2021 causing fear and alarm at Dorward Gardens, and at Arbroath bus station.
He further admitted a breach of bail conditions by contacting Zoe Cormie.
He was sentenced to nine months to run consecutively with his current sentence.
Intended to kill people
At the High Court in Edinburgh, Law was sentenced to an Order for Lifelong Restriction after he pled guilty to brandishing a knife at staff at the Alloway Centre in Dundee, as well as assault and behaving in a threatening an abusive manner towards a woman in Monifieth.
He admitted he had gone to the health centre to “kill people”.
The punishment part of the sentence was set at three years but he was warned he will not be freed until he persuades the authorities he is no longer a danger to the public.
The court heard how he continued to harbour murderous thoughts, even as social work reports were being prepared before his sentencing.
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