A man held a knife to a partygoer’s neck and threatened to kill him over remarks about his brother’s mental condition, a court has heard.
James Winters, a prisoner at Perth, was jailed for 22 months at Arbroath Sheriff Court on Tuesday following the assault in Coupar Angus on June 23.
The 23-year-old admitted brandishing the knife, pushing it towards the man’s neck, picking up a bottle and smashing it against a wall and repeatedly making threats at the address in Davidson Crescent.
Winters was sentenced to 22 months’ imprisonment backdated to June 24. The court heard Winters had attended a party as he was celebrating securing a new job.
Depute fiscal Hazel Anderson said he bought two bottles of Morgan’s Spiced rum to take with him but had consumed one of them on his own.
She added: “Witnesses described his mood as quite emotional.
“Around 1am the accused was within the living room when a man began speaking to him and brought up the accused’s brother recently being a patient at Murray Royal.
“The accused started shouting at the man saying, ‘Don’t you ever slag my family’.”
Winters was then seen to leave the room and go into the kitchen. Witnesses said they heard him rummaging in the kitchen drawer.
“On his return he was brandishing a five-inch black-handled kitchen knife,” Ms Anderson said.
“He began pushing the blade of the knife towards the man.”
A struggle took place after which Winters took hold of a glass bottle and smashed it against the wall, before telling the man, “I’m going to have you”.
Police attended at the address and Winters was later traced at around 1.30am before being taken to Perth Police Office for interview.
He declined to make any comment but said he had seen the knife before and had handled it to sharpen it and to gut fish.
Winters’ defence agent said his client had lost his new job as a result of the incident after being held on remand for nine months.
“He went to a friend’s house and at the friend’s house were a number of people he hadn’t met before and the complainer, whom he had only met once before.
“He is a shy person and that is the reason he consumed quite so much alcohol. Mention was made that his brother is in a psychological unit and there was general needling and abuse in the course of the night.
“It doesn’t go any way to excusing the actions of Mr Winters in the matter in question.”
The defence agent said Winters was fully aware his actions could have caused a life-threatening injury
He added: “He has indicated to me he had no intention of using the knife and was simply trying to scare the complainer, trying to level the playing field.
“As he left it seems he didn’t realise the gravity of the situation until he found himself in Perth Prison.”