A 52-year-old Forfar man who triggered an armed police response after subjecting his wife to hours of terror has appeared in court.
Edward James Hoy, of Taranty Road, brandished kitchen knives and threatened to kill his wife and some of the 16 police officers who rushed to his home on Monday afternoon.
Sheriff Kevin Veal heard the tactical firearms unit was deployed, with officers drafted in from Dundee.
Hoy’s wife of 14 years called police and was advised to use a sofa to barricade herself and other occupants of the house in one room while her drunk and abusive husband was threatening her with the knives.
Hoy’s defence solicitor Bob Bruce said his client, who had worked for the same firm for 23 years, was living in a domestic cauldron and needed help.
Hoy appeared at Forfar Sheriff Court almost 24 hours after police put a cordon up around his home. It ended when Hoy gave himself up and was led from the house in to the street where there were 10 police vehicles, an ambulance and an ambulance car.
Hoy admitted that on Monday, at his home, he behaved in a threatening or abusive manner, likely to cause fear and alarm, repeatedly shouted and swore, made abusive remarks, brandished knives, threatened to stab Margaret Hoy, repeatedly struck and damaged doors with knives and upturned furniture.
He further admitted he:
Assaulted constables Scott Anderson and Rod Hamilton of Tayside Police, repeatedly shouted, swore and threatened to stab and kill the officers.
Assaulted constables Graham Moon and Jacqueline Ross, brandished knives and threatened the officers with violence.
Depute fiscal Hannah Kennedy said the incident stemmed from alcohol. At 10pm on Sunday Mrs Hoy was in the house when her husband returned. He began drinking and went to bed at 1am.
Due to her husband’s drinking Mrs Hoy decided to sleep downstairs.
Ms Kennedy said that at 6am on Monday the accused came downstairs ”still under the influence of alcohol” and began shouting at his wife and blaming her for him being drunk.
Continued…
He went back to bed and on a few occasions until the early afternoon this behaviour was repeated.
At 2.15pm, when Mrs Hoy was in the living room, her husband again began shouting at her and calling her names. He had two large kitchen knives and began hitting the door and the knives stuck in it.
A neighbour heard Hoy shout: ”I am going to kill you”.
Then he said his wife had better phone the police. If she didn’t, he would stab her.
Ms Kennedy said the accused again brandished the knives and continued to strike them on the living room door.
She said Mrs Hoy was ”terrified” and feared for her safety.
Mrs Hoy phoned the police and they advised her to push the sofa against the door and she ”barricaded” herself in.
Ms Kennedy said constables Hamilton and Anderson were first on the scene and the accused appeared behind a glass door panel brandishing two knives and threatening to kill them.
Other officers arrived and the tactical unit was deployed to the back door. The accused said he would kill anybody who came to the door. After officers from the tactical unit spoke to him he gave himself up.
Ms Kennedy said the incident was ”traumatic”.
Mr Bruce said Hoy was under ”increasing domestic pressure”. He had been drinking Malibu and had taken valium.
Mr Bruce said: ”He has been living in this cauldron and on the day in question the pressure cooker exploded. He clearly needs assistance. This is not the general kind of conduct he engages in.
”Clearly this was a disturbing incident but there was no actual violence visited on anyone. The police asked him to see sense and he saw sense.
”This is not a course of conduct. This is one day where everything has got out of control.”
Sheriff Veal granted bail on condition Hoy lives at a specific address, does not go within 100 metres of his Taranty Road home, does not contact his wife and does not drink alcohol.
The case was continued to October 27 for social work reports.
Photo photosonlocation.