A construction firm boss who carried out a cocaine-fuelled campaign of violence and intimidation against his own family and friends has been spared jail.
Alistair Brownie’s bizarre behaviour included flashing his penis at his own mum, decapitating a toy dog, setting fire to the entrance of a friend’s home and attacking a Range Rover with a claw hammer.
The 35-year-old has now been ordered to stay away from his wife and mother and to undergo random drug testing.
The businessman, who owns construction firm Landmark Developments, then repeatedly breached an order to stay away from his mum at her home in rural Aberdeenshire.
Flashed his own mum
Fiscal depute Carol Gammie said Brownie turned up at her property at 6.15am on March 14 and began rifling through kitchen drawers.
“During this time the accused repeatedly pulled down his trousers exposing his penis and began spinning it around, to his mother’s alarm,” she said.
Brownie then began shouting and swearing about how he was going to burn his friend’s nearby home to the ground before pouring diesel over one of his mum’s decorations and leaving the property in his van.
“He drove off in the direction of Linton Farmhouse, owned by family friends of the accused,” the fiscal added.
“After he left his mum noticed an axe belonging to her in the back garden, with its blade stuck into the ground.
“The axe had been used to decapitate a dog toy, which added to her alarm and concern about him.”
Just 20 minutes later Brownie’s van was spotted by a passerby at the entrance to the farmhouse where he was waving a blue object around next to a sign, which was ablaze.
Police were contacted and traced Brownie to his home in Sauchen. His van was in the driveway with a jerry can in the footwell.
Repeatedly ignored bail conditions
Brownie resisted arrest and spent the night in the cells before appearing in court the following day. He was given special bail conditions not to contact his mum.
But less than a day later he made numerous calls and texts to her before taking a taxi to her home armed with a hammer and damaging her Range Rover.
His frightening behaviour got him another night in the cells and when he was released he had more bail conditions imposed, including a curfew restricting him to his own home at night.
But just six days later he was pestering his family again, this time demanding money and hurling an ornament through the window.
Brownie had made numerous number-withheld calls to his mum demanding £21 before heading to her home at 2.20am on Monday March 28.
This time Brownie was arrested and remanded in custody at HMP Grampian, where he appeared via videolink to admit nine charges.
These included multiple threatening and abusive behaviour offences, wilful fire-raising, resisting arrest, domestic abuse, culpable and reckless conduct and bail and curfew breaches.
Now faces random drugs testing
Brownie’s defence agent, David Sutherland, said his client had reflected on his offending and, having been given a second meeting with social workers, now accepted his guilt.
“It’s clear he now accepts full responsibility,” he said. “Alcohol and drug misuse appear to have been a major factor in his offending.
“He accepts the effect that the use of cocaine had on his behaviour and he is now ready to address the underlying issues here.”
Sheriff Graham Buchanan said that given Brownie, a prisoner at HMP Grampian, had spent the equivalent of eight months in prison and had never been inside before, he could deal with him by way of a community payback order.
He told Brownie: “Your attitude towards these matters initially was not very good, but it appears since the last hearing you have changed your attitude and in particular you now accept you did do the various things which you pled guilty to.”
As a direct alternative to custody, Brownie was given an 18-month supervision order along with an order that he engage and cooperate with the local substance misuse service and agree to random drug testing for the next 18 months.
He was also ordered to stay away from his mother for four months and his wife for three years.
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