A man’s frightened neighbours dialled 999 after he posed masked outside their Kirkcaldy flat with a sword and axe above his head.
Janusz Struzak, 35, was spotted standing armed with the weapons in the courtyard of his Church Court flat around midnight on Tuesday March 4.
At Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court on Tuesday Struzak admitted brandishing the sword and axe while wearing what he described as a snowboard mask.
His solicitor Sally McKenzie said her client was a member of a medieval historical group who would re-enact battles.
Struzak had bought the sword from an armoury shop and, on the night in question, claimed he was posing for a photograph being taken by his girlfriend from inside his flat, which he then intended to post online.
Depute fiscal Dana Forbes said: “The accused lives in a block of flats and a person who lives above heard some commotion outside. She looked outside and saw a male standing in the courtyard.”
The witness noted the man was wearing similar clothing to one of her neighbours and what looked like a balaclava.
Ms Forbes said: “He had a sword in one hand and an axe in the other, raised and crossed above his head.”
Police discovered an axe and a mask in Struzak’s kitchen, while the sword was in his bedroom.
Struzak told officers he thought nobody was there and could understand why someone would be shocked to see it.
Ms McKenzie said he was a member of Battleship UK, a historical re-enactment society that was heavily licensed, and the weapons would only be used for this purpose.
Sheriff Thornton sentenced Struzak to a community payback order, which included 120 hours of unpaid work, and ordered him to forfeit the weapons.
Struzak admitted that, on March 4 on Church Court, Kirkcaldy, a public place, he had offensive weapons.