An Angus woman who threatened to chop off a police officer’s head with a samurai sword escaped a prison sentence.
Louise Temperton did not actually have the weapon when she made the threat but in another incident less than a month earlier had waved a 12-inch kitchen knife at officers, who were forced to control her with CS spray after she called 999 following a morning of drinking.
At Forfar Sheriff Court a lawyer for Temperton admitted his client recognised she was “teetering on the brink” of jail after appearing for sentence on the two offences from the summer.
Temperton (29) admitted assaulting two officers at her home address in Glenogil Terrace, Forfar, on July 25 by brandishing a knife at them, threatening them with violence and thrusting the knife at them.
She also admitted telephoning police and saying she would assault them with a knife on the same date.
Temperton further pleaded guilty to breaching the peace at her home on August 22 by threatening violence, gesticulating to police and threatening that she had a knife and samurai sword and would use them against others, while on bail and in breach of a condition banning her from drinking alcohol.
Depute fiscal Hannah Kennedy said that on July 25 Temperton had been drinking for around three hours when she phoned 999 and in a call with a police operator threatened to slit the throat of a doctor and kill her sister.
Officers went to her home and saw the accused with a knife in her right hand, around 30cm long and with a 15cm blade.
“She refused to hand over the knife and initially her husband restrained her, but she broke free and officers had to use CS to incapacitate her,” the fiscal said.
In the second incident, around 9pm, police received a call from staff at an Angus hospital saying the accused had phoned them to say she was going to kill herself by jumping off the roof of her house.
Police discovered Temperton in the attic, attempting to pull the loft ladder up.
“She told a sergeant she had a samurai sword and would chop his head off,” the fiscal told the court.
Temperton’s agent said she had mental health and alcohol problems, but had not been drinking since the second offence.
Sheriff Veal, who placed Temperton on a structured deferred sentence until February 17, said she was in serious danger of a spell behind bars.