A man who provoked a stand-off with armed officers when he was seen in Aberdeen city centre while brandishing scissors in either hand has been jailed.
Kevin McCabe was seen on Union Street waving the scissors about over his head while shouting at members of the public, who feared the 39-year-old planned to do them harm.
Armed police officers were called to the scene and drew their taser guns, forcing McCabe to surrender, Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told.
However, as he was taken to a nearby police station, McCabe, also known as Tolmie, was heard to state that he was “about to murder” until officers showed up, adding: “I want blood”.
McCabe seen on CCTV with scissors
Fiscal depute Jane Spark told the court at a previous hearing that at around 11pm on August 27 this year, CCTV officers received a request for help from staff at the Co-op on Union Street.
“This was due to the accused brandishing two pairs of scissors and stating his intention to leave and use them to cause harm to people,” Mrs Spark said.
Multiple police units were then dispatched to search for McCabe as CCTV operators saw him remove two sets of scissors from their packaging and place them in his left and right trouser pockets.
As McCabe carried on along Union Street, he was seen to remove the scissors from his pockets and “present them in the air while clearly agitated and irate”.
Operators saw the accused approach one man in an aggressive manner, while shouting and “presenting the scissors in the air”.
Two taser gun officers arrived on the scene due to McCabe’s manner and his “stated intention to cause harm to members of the public”.
‘I was about to murder until yous turn up’
“The constables were in possession of tasers and upon approaching the accused they saw his hands in his pockets with a grip on the handles of the scissors,” Mrs Spark said.
“The officers drew and aimed their tasers at the accused.
“He then removed his hands from his pockets and was restrained with handcuffs.”
The officers then removed two pairs of scissors from McCabe’s pockets.
As he was taken to Kittybrewster Police Station, McCabe stated: “I was about to murder until yous turn up – just my luck”.
McCabe’s chilling rant continued: “It doesn’t matter whether it’s today, tomorrow or next week, it’ll happen.”
He added: “It doesn’t matter if you give me two years in the jail.”
McCabe also made further comments about how he had the scissors to “stick them in their face,” adding: “I want blood”.
Ms Spark also told the court how, previous to this incident, McCabe had been caught on CCTV while throwing a rock through the window of the Co-op filling station, on Springfield Road, Aberdeen, on August 12 this year.
The total cost of the damaged window was £5,000.
Appearing in the dock, McCabe pleaded guilty to one charge of wilfully and recklessly destroying property.
He also admitted a second charge of being in possession of a bladed article, namely two pairs of scissors, and a third charge of behaving in a threatening manner.
‘Jekyll and Hyde character’
Defence solicitor Alex Burn told the court that McCabe had “no recollection” of carrying out these offences.
“That comes as no surprise to me because he is a hopeless alcoholic and a user of drugs,” Mr Burn said.
He added: “Mr McCabe told me that a particular male had been abusive to his sister and he had heard he was going to harm him so he equipped himself with these scissors.
“He accepts full responsibility and realises he should have contacted the police if he had threats being made to him.
“Mr McCabe also accepts that his actions would have caused alarm to members of the public.”
Mr Burn went on to describe his client as a “Jekyll and Hyde character”, adding that “alcohol is the demon he has to deal with”.
Sheriff Lindsay Foulis described McCabe’s record of previous convictions as “appalling” and that the only “realistic disposal” was a prison sentence.
He sentenced McCabe, whose address was given as HMP Grampian, to 28 months in prison.
The sheriff also put a 12-month supervised release order in place following McCabe’s release from prison “in order to protect the public from serious harm”.
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