A sheriff today jailed a man who threatened to kill police with a meat cleaver and a machete during a 20-hour siege.
Ryan Duke poured white spirit through his letterbox on Ann Street before climbing on scaffolding during the dramatic incident last October.
A court heard that the incident was sparked after a social worker visited Duke following concerns raised by his brother about Duke’s mental health.
Duke then began to act aggressively with the nature of his threats prompting a major police response.
The area was put on lockdown while officers tried to negotiate with the 28-year-old who had barricaded himself inside the property.
Before he was due to stand trial, Duke pleaded guilty on indictment to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by shouting, swearing, repeatedly threatening to harm himself, challenging police to fight as well as brandishing a knife, a machete and a meat cleaver on October 29.
Duke, a prisoner of HMP Perth, threatened to kill and injure police officers before striking the weapons through the front door, narrowly missing police, barricading himself inside, pouring white spirit through a letterbox which hit police, climbing on scaffolding and throwing items at police from above to the danger of their lives.
He returned to the dock today from custody before Sheriff Alastair Carmichael following the preparation of social work reports.
Defence solicitor Ian Houston said it was his belief that the incident may not have occurred had there not been a major police presence.
He added that although Duke suffers from schizophrenia, his mental health has shown signs of improvement.
Mr Houston said: “I don’t mean this to be critical but this is a situation that probably would never have happened had he been left alone.
“It’s quite clear from his brother’s phone call to the police that such was his paranoid state that any police intervention might exacerbate the situation.
“His aunt attended at Ann Street on the night. She is a civil servant with the Scottish Government.
“She feels progress was being made and the whole situation could have been solved by negotiation and the police action was premature.”
Before sentencing him to 12 months in prison, Sheriff Carmichael said: “I’ve got a governor’s report here which isn’t terribly positive and a social work report that isn’t positive either.
“That tells me I do not think there is any alternative but a custodial sentence in this case.”
The sentence was backdated to October 29.
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