An Aberdeen teenager yesterday blamed a toxic relationship with his former partner for the incident that saw a city street cordoned-off by firearms officers.
Rosehill Drive was off-limits for six hours on July 7 this year after emergency services responded to reports of a serious domestic disturbance.
The first officers on the scene found Robbie Jennings sitting on the windowsill of an upper floor flat, cigarette in hand.
Even more concerning was the fact that he also had a knife. Armed officers were soon on their way as locals and motorists were cleared from nearby streets.
Armed police involved in seven hour stand-off at Aberdeen flats
The 19-year-old had broken into the third-floor property to confront his former partner, Antonia Petrie, forcing her to seek refuge with neighbours and call for help.
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Yesterday a sheriff accused him of grandstanding during the lengthy incident, enjoying
the attention as his actions held police officers at bay, and also of tying-up emergency resources that would have been better used elsewhere.
Fiscal depute Anna Chisholm told Aberdeen Sheriff Court: “He was observed to be in possession of knives and was making threats to use them on himself.
“Miss Petrie said she was left in fear of the accused throughout this incident. She sought refuge with a neighbour. She was extremely upset.”
The court also heard Jennings attacked his mother and threatened his grandmother at his home on Girdleness Road in a separate incident on August 14 this year.
He repeatedly kicked his mother and after she asked him to stop the court heard he’d told her: “do you think that was a kick, I’ll give you another one”.
Emergency services were eventually called and Jennings was arrested.
He previously admitted two charges of breaching the peace and the assault, and appeared in court yesterday for sentencing.
Representing the 19-year-old, defence agent Graham Morrison said the toxic relationship with his former partner was at the root of much of his problems.
He added: “Whenever she is in his life these things happen. This is the 2018 version.”
Sheriff Gary Aitken told Jennings: “The cause of your offending may be your relationship with this lady. If that is the case you need to leave her alone.
“In the first incident here you were standing on the ledge of a building drawing attention to yourself – and thoroughly enjoying all that attention.
“While police officers are trying to prevent you throwing yourself off a window ledge they are not dealing with people’s grannies getting mugged and ambulances are not attending to potentially life-threatening injuries.
“This is serious stuff Mr Jennings”.
The sheriff said he was willing to give him an opportunity to sort his life out as he deferred sentence for an up to date report from social workers.
