A Moray man has been jailed for terrorising teenagers in a shop after trying to haggle a cheaper price for a handbag.
James Shewan, from Forres, initially acted aggressively towards customers in the store before turning his attention to the assistant behind the till and his two younger friends.
The 37-year-old tried to persuade the youngster to give him a discount on a handbag with the offer of cider – and when that was refused he told the teenager he would “split his face”.
Yesterday Shewan was sent to prison after pleading guilty to acting in a threatening or abusive manner likely to cause fear or alarm in the shop last Wednesday.
Fiscal Alex Swain told Elgin Sheriff Court that the panic-stricken children attempted to lock him out of the shop when he left for a brief period before returning.
>> Keep up to date with the latest news with The P&J newsletter
Sheriff Chris Dickson told Shewan the boys must have been “petrified” by his actions.
Once back in the shop, the accused whispered a threat to one that he would “look after these boys” before raising a fist at another’s head.
She said: “They all believed the boy was at risk of being assaulted.”
Defence solicitor Stephen Carty explained Shewan was at risk of “killing himself” from alcohol if he did not reduce his intake – arguing he should be spared a prison sentence to engage with social workers to quit the addiction and end his cycle of offending.
He said: “Perhaps this is asking to put a degree of trust in Mr Shewan that his record doesn’t really merit. I have to appreciate there is not particularly much going for him.”
Shewan, of Tailwell in Forres, was sentenced to 399 days in prison.
The sentence also covers offences of acting in a threatening or abusive manner likely to cause fear or alarm on July 19 by aggressively shouting, swearing and striking a police vehicle after being arrested in Findhorn as well as threatening an officer with violence.
It encompasses a further charge of stealing a can of cider from a convenience store on Fleurs Place in Forres on April 8 and failing to notify police he possessed a new bank card within three days from May 23, as part of his sex offenders register requirements.
