A man who was seen wandering the streets of Stonehaven with a kitchen knife has appeared in court.
Cameron Howey, 21, was having a drunken argument with a man beside the town’s harbour in January 2020, when witnesses heard him say “I’m going to get a knife”.
The then-19-year-old rang the security buzzer of a nearby flat at around 12.30am and the resident allowed him in after recognising his voice.
The flat owner said Howey, of Market Street in Inverbervie, came in, grabbed a knife from the kitchen, then headed back outside.
Other witnesses said they saw Howey acting erratically after returning to Stonehaven Harbour, attempting to hide the knife behind his back and against his leg while asking: “Where is he?”
Police were then contacted and he was cautioned and charged.
‘He accepts responsibility’ despite no recollection
At Aberdeen Sheriff Court, Howey pleaded guilty to theft and behaving in a threatening or abusive manner. Both offences took place while he was on bail.
Defence agent Iain McGregor said: “He was 19 at the time. You will see from the reports that at that time in his life he was using both alcohol and drugs on a fairly regular basis.
“On this particular night, he had used both those substances to the extent that his recollection of the events is hazy, to say the least.
“He accepts responsibility but mostly from what he has been told from other people rather than any recollection himself. He accepts that version of events.”
The solicitor added: “Since 2020, there have been fairly significant changes in his life. He has reduced his drug and alcohol consumption.
“At the present time he is still using cannabis, but not to the extent he has been. He intends to continue to reduce that.”
‘Extraordinarily stupid’ behaviour
Sheriff William Summers told Howey: “Your behaviour was extraordinarily stupid, very dangerous and must have been terrifying for those who had the misfortune of being near you.”
Due to Howey’s age, the sheriff said he favoured an alternative to a custodial sentence and handed him a community payback order.
He will be supervised for a year, and must also do 120 hours of unpaid work over that time.
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