An angry man told neighbours at his Inverness block of flats that he would “kill everyone” adding: “It’s game over.”
Ground floor resident Raymond Marshall kicked doors and threatened to stab other residents at the Riverview, before stalking up and down the communal stairwell hitting the railings with an object as he went.
Some residents retreated inside their homes and locked their doors, while others found the path to their property blocked by Marshall, who shouted, swore and acted aggressively towards them.
Marshall appeared at Inverness Sheriff Court to admit a charge of threatening or abusive behaviour in relation to the incident on November 16 2022.
Fiscal depute Robert Weir told the court that it was around 6pm when a resident in the block heard the accused shouting and swearing saying that “he hated his neighbours”.
As he kicked a door Marshall shouted “I hate all youse b******s” adding that he was “going to stab the man upstairs”.
Around an hour later other residents attempted to enter the block and were met by Marshall shouting “aggressively” in the communal stairway.
When he was asked to calm down he ignored the request, instead shouting at one woman and posturing with his arms outstretched as he walked towards her leaving her “scared”.
He told the witnesses: “You’re f***ing lucky you are females” before telling one to “get her man” and saying that he would “stab him”.
Another witness was about to leave their property when they heard the commotion and retreated back inside, locking the door behind them.
Angry man’s ‘game over’ threat to neighbours
One resident, whose attention had been drawn by the noise, looked out to see what was happening, only for Marshall to tell them: “It’s not your business” asking: “Who the f*** are you?” before stating that he would “kill everyone.”
He said: “It’s game over!”
The householder retreated into their property and locked the door.
Marshall then began kicking doors and shouting that he would “kill anyone and everyone” saying: “I’ll stab the life out of youse.”
“The accused stated he had a knife and that he would harm anyone that came to him,” Mr Weir told Sheriff Eilidh MacDonald.
Police were called and arrived around 7.30pm, but when they stood at Marshall’s door and window asking him to come out, he shouted and swore at them.
“He threatened that he had various knives and weapons and that he would stab police and himself if anyone went inside and that he would ‘do time’,” Mr Weir said.
He added: “The accused made specific remarks regarding Stanley-style blades, and that he would seriously injure or kill police while making further threats to harm himself.”
Officers forced entry to end incident
Officers then forced entry and Marshall was taken into custody.
Solicitor Natalie Paterson, for Marshall, said her client “suffers poor mental health” and had been troubled previously by “substance misuse difficulties”.
She said Marshall had since successfully completed a drug treatment and testing order, adding: “Significant progress has been made in his life.”
Sheriff Eilidh MacDonald told Marshall: “I could quite easily send you to jail for this appalling behaviour.
“You would have caused significant distress to those living around you.”
She deferred sentencing for the production of a criminal justice social work report but added: “That does not mean that I will not send you to jail, because I find it to be particularly horrible and bullying and frightening for those people that lived around you.”
The case will call again next month and Marshall, whose current address was given in court papers as Ord Terrace, Strathpeffer, will remain on bail in the meantime.
