A north-east man who threatened to put his brother in a body bag over an unpaid debt has been jailed.
Billy Wilson appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court yesterday for sentencing, after previously admitting sending threatening messages to his brother Mark.
The 20-year-old – who lived with his family in Kinellar at the time of the offence – also deliberately destroyed his older sibling’s TV set, and then sent him a picture of the wreckage.
The court heard that matters had come to a head after Mr Wilson failed to return money his brother had loaned him.
Fiscal depute Jamie Dunbar told the court that on December 30, Wilson had sent an abusive text to his brother and threatened to punch him.
He also made reference to putting him “in a body bag”, and threatened to stab him with a kitchen knife.
The following day, the court heard, Wilson went into his brother’s bedroom and removed his TV and carried it out to the back garden.
His mother and step-father subsequently heard a loud bang and when they went outside they saw the set had been smashed.
Later that day, Mr Wilson received a text message with a picture of the damaged TV, with the caption “debt free now, good lad”.
The police were alerted and later that day, Wilson was arrested and charged.
Defence agent Mike Monro said the debt owed was not a “huge amount”.
Mr Monro said Wilson had been promised the money earlier that week and when his brother failed to hand it over, he “exploded”.
He said Wilson’s mood could change like “turning a tap”, which made him a “completely different person”.
Mr Monro acknowledged Wilson’s criminal record was of some “considerable concern”, and appealed for the court to defer sentence to allow for a psychological report.
However, Sheriff Alison Stirling, presiding, refused to defer sentence on Wilson and jailed him for six months.