A 36-year-old Fife man went to his ex-partner’s home at midnight with a knife and shouted offensive remarks through a kitchen window at her and her new partner.
Richard Maccallum told police he went to the property in Blairhall with the blade to “pop the tyres” on her new partner’s van but the vehicle was not there.
Dunfermline Sheriff Court heard Mccallum and the woman had been in a relationship for 16 years but separated in May last year and she had moved out.
Procurator fiscal depute Zahra Bhatti told the court the woman and her new partner were in the kitchen at home just after midnight on December 23 when they looked out the window and saw Maccallum peering in and banging on the glass.
He shouted offensive terms towards them and they asked him to leave and threatened to call the police.
Ms Bhatti said Maccallum appeared to take note and walk away but about 30 minutes later the couple heard a loud banging outside and police were called.
Knife was to ‘pop the tyres’
Upon arrival, officers carried out a search and found a knife in some long grass near the front of the property.
The depute fiscal said: “During the interview he (Maccallum) was questioned about the knife.
“Police asked him, ‘can you tell us a bit more about the knife?’ and he said, ‘it’s just a knife, it’s quite big, I was basically just making sure I popped the tyres’.”
Maccallum told police the knife had a black handle, silver blade and was about 20 cm long.
Defence solicitor Elaine Buist said her client told police he had no intention of hurting anyone with the knife and that he just planned to use it for his van “which was not even there.”
Maccallum, of Woodlands Terrace in Blairhall, admitted possessing the knife and behaving in a threatening and abusive manner.
Non-harassment order
Sheriff Wyllie Robertson told Maccallum: “The gravity of this offence is bad enough in relation to charge one, but it’s considerably elevated by the possession of a knife in charge two.
“I’m prepared to consider an alternative to custody.”
Sheriff Robertson sentenced Maccallum to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work within the next 12 months as part of a community payback order.
The sheriff also imposed a non-harassment order, forbidding Maccallum from directly contacting or communicating with his ex-partner, or attempting to do so, for 12 months.
Sheriff Robertson said custody would be at the forefront of the court’s consideration should these orders be breached.
