A Peaky Blinders fan clashed with staff at a Dundee fancy dress shop after he tried to grab a life-size cardboard cut-out of character Tommy Shelby.
Graham Stupart armed himself with a drill to unscrew a window fixture at the Seagate store, because he was desperate to get his hands on the promotional Cillian Murphy display.
The 44-year-old was confronted by the store’s owner where the cardboard cut-out was being used as storefront advertising.
Stupart told them: “This is mine. You better f*** off. What are you going to do about it? You should be scared of someone like me.”
‘Can I ask who Tommy Shelby is?’
Fiscal depute Carrie-Ann McKenzie told Dundee Sheriff Court: “At 4.45pm on March 19 2023, the accused was observed at the shop by witnesses.
“He was queried by witnesses about being there. He said to witnesses he wanted the life-sized cardboard cut-out of Tommy Shelby.”
Sheriff George Way asked: “Can I ask who Tommy Shelby is?”
The fiscal depute replied: “He is a character from the TV show Peaky Blinders. The witnesses told the accused it wasn’t for sale.
“In response, the accused became threatening and abusive. He left the scene and the witnesses contacted 999 to report him.”
A ‘grave mess’
Solicitor Jim Laverty, defending, said: “I’m afraid to say the identity of the cardboard cut-out had to be explained to me by my client.”
Sheriff Way said: “He used the phrase ‘you should be scared of someone like me.’ That concerns me. I take it your client realises the grave mess he is in.
“He should understand he either lives peaceably in the community or not, but trying to play the hard man like this is not a good idea.
“He was previously jailed for 44 months for assault and carrying a knife and that could be re-imposed.
“He is drawing attention to himself when he should be keeping under the radar.”
Made owner miss Mother’s Day lunch
Stupart, of Craigowan Road, Dundee, admitted acting in a threatening or abusive manner at Yvonne’s Fancy Dress in Dundee on 19 March last year. He admitted causing fear or alarm by repeatedly shouting, swearing, adopting an aggressive demeanour and uttering threatening remarks.
The Crown accepted his not guilty plea to a charge of removing screws from a window fixture to try and steal a cardboard figure.
Sheriff Way ordered him to be of good behaviour for six months and warned him that “the sword of Damacles” was hanging over him.
Speaking after the hearing, shop owner Yvonne Brown said: “I missed my Mother’s Day lunch because of it.
“We were walking past on our way to the restaurant when we heard a drilling sound.”
She said: “We looked up the street and saw him at the wall trying to get the cut-out off.
“We asked what he was up to and said he had wanted to buy it but they wouldn’t let him.”
Ms Brown added: “We had only put it up because the window had been broken before and was boarded up, so we put it up to try and make the shop and the street look nice.
“It was the guy from Peaky Blinders. They sell in the shop for £35. The guy was shouting and swearing at us and he had the drill in his hand so it was worrying.
“By the time the police came, it was too late to go to lunch and we had lost our spot. The cut-out was stolen properly a couple of weeks later.”
Criminal history
Stupart has previously been jailed for four and a half years for smashing his lover’s cheekbone and breaking her nose weeks after they started dating.
Lynne Miller thought Stupart was going to kill her as he throttled her with a potentially lethal choke hold for around half a minute.
Stupart admitted assaulting Ms Miller to her severe injury and permanent disfigurement. He was on bail at the time.
He also admitted drunkenly staggering around Dens Road, Dundee, with a knife and Sheriff Linda Smith noted his record was littered with convictions for violence and weapons as she jailed him for 54 months.
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