A masked Fife man who barged his way into another man’s flat before holding a knife to his throat and robbing him has been jailed.
Rhuridgh Blair, 28, described as a prisoner at HMP Perth, duped his victim Stephen Wood into opening his door slightly before forcing his way into the property in Tweed Street, Methil, on August 6.
Blair then rifled through Mr Wood’s pockets while threatening him at knifepoint before making off with cash and a MyFife identification card.
Appearing at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court via video link, Blair admitted assaulting Mr Wood by pushing him on the body, holding a knife to his neck and robbing him of £60.
Fiscal Ronnie Hay told the court how Mr Wood had been awoken at around 2.45am by the sound of banging on the door of his property.
Blair pretended to be someone else and when Mr Wood opened the door, Blair – whose face was covered by what Mr Hay described as a “Hallowe’en-style” mask – bundled his way into the flat and pressed a knife against his left cheek.
Blair, who was still threatening Mr Wood with the knife, then went through his wallet and jeans and removed £60 in cash and his bank cards.
However, Mr Hay said Blair told his victim “I’m not that bad, you keep these” before leaving the bank cards behind. Blair then cycled away on a mountain bike.
Police were called and found Mr Wood “extremely distressed but uninjured”, while a neighbour – who had been playing computer games in the early hours of the morning – told officers he had heard a disturbance.
Police later found a discarded knife a few streets away and when Blair was taken into custody, they found him in possession of 0.95g of heroin and the identification card bearing Mr Wood’s name.
Defence solicitor Martin McGuire said his client knew Mr Wood via the drugs scene and had sourced heroin from him in the past.
“On the evening in question, he’s had the pre-meditated intention of removing heroin by force,” Mr McGuire noted.
Sheriff James Williamson sentenced Blair to 32 months’ imprisonment which will be backdated to August 7.
