A man who terrified children by brandishing a plastic skean dubh during a drunken tirade was described as an “idiot” yesterday at Elgin Sheriff Court.
Ray Bruce admitted a string of offences which happened after he attended a wedding on Saturday, June 13.
The court heard the 30-year-old reduced two young girls to “hysteria” by wielding the plastic knife, and spitting in a policeman’s face.
Fiscal Alison Wylie said: “The accused was in high spirits that evening, and was wearing a full kilt with a skean dubh knife.
“He attended a house in Buckie, where his car was, to demand the keys to the vehicle.
“When this was refused he stormed out into the driveway and began kicking the driver’s side of his own car while shouting and swearing.
“During the course of this he was seen to brandish a shiny object – and two children who were playing nearby were terrified as to what they saw.
“These two girls, aged nine and 10, became hysterical and hid behind a nearby car, not realising it was a plastic knife.”
The youngsters called the police, and officers bore the brunt of Bruce’s aggression when they arrived at the scene.
During the rant that followed, he called the officers “scum” and referred to constable Rory Fraser as “Polish” and “foreign”.
Bruce’s solicitor Stephen Carty blamed his behaviour on mixing alcohol with medication, but said his client accepted his conduct was “absolutely shameful”.
Mr Carty added: “He would like to apologise to everybody involved – particularly the two young girls.”
Bruce, of 142 Robertson Road in Lhanbryde, was ordered to perform 240 hours of unpaid work over the next six months.
Sheriff John Halley said if it had not been for his relatively clean record there was “no doubt” he would have been sent to prison.
The sheriff said: “The accused must consider the impact of his behaviour on the public, not least these children who were forced to see some idiot waving what appeared to be a knife about, and were so terrified they hid behind a car.”
