A drunken party guest who brandished a knife in an Angus house after a row over his unwarranted advances towards a woman is facing an electronic tag.
Michael Brogan twice tried to kiss the woman at the party in Arbroath’s Emislaw Drive and was told to behave by others who splashed water on him to try and sober him up.
But the 45-year-old overstepped the mark by licking the woman on the neck, leading to a row in which he took a knife from a kitchen drawer and told her partner: “Come on then”.
Forfar Sheriff Court heard Brogan is now living in fear of reprisals from those involved in the incident.
He was warned by a sheriff that the seriousness of the knife offence had brought a spell behind bars onto the list of sentencing options.
Depute fiscal Stewart Duncan told the court Brogan had been drinking with others at the house but at some point during the night became argumentative.
Around 1.40am the female complainer was in the kitchen and Brogan tried to kiss her.
He then made a second subsequent attempt to kiss her, before Brogan was urged to consume water to help sober him up.
Mr Duncan said Brogan then leant over and licked the woman’s neck, leading to a confrontation with her partner.
“There was an argument, and as it began to subside he grabbed a kitchen knife from the drawer, brandishing it towards him and said ‘come on then’,” the fiscal said.
Brogan, who admitted assaulting the woman on August 20 last year and behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by brandishing the knife and challenging others to fight, left the house.
When he was traced by police and asked about the incident he told them: “I can’t remember.”
Defence solicitor Billy Rennie said witness statements had indicated that the people involved were drunk and the woman, who had only met Brogan once before, had given him a cuddle.
“The difficulty at the moment is that he has had numerous threats as a result of this case. The allegation seems to have grown arms and legs locally,” said Mr Rennie.
“His is anxious and fearful for his safety in the Arbroath area.”
Sheriff Gregor Murray told Brogan, of Elm Brae, Arbroath: “I make it clear that I regard charge one as a case involving two drunk people, one takes something the wrong way and a relatively minor offence occurs.
“Charge two, where you are brandishing a knife, is a different matter. Anything could have happened and custody is an option in your case.”
Sentence was deferred for three months for Brogan to be of good behaviour and a Restriction of Liberty Order assessment to be prepared.
