Man who had 5-inch knife in Wick street avoids jail

Members of the public were concerned when they observed a Wick man holding a knife in a local street and contacted the police.

Police officers located Kyle Miller (24) standing in a garden in Henrietta Street, on June 17, last year, and arrested him after he dropped the five-inch blade, Wick Sheriff Court heard last week.

Miller was taken to Wick Police Station where he adopted an aggressive manner and shouted abuse at the officers.

Fiscal Depute Grant McLennan said that officers were concerned about Miller's behaviour and took him to Caithness General Hospital where he was declared fit to be detained.

Mr McLennan said: “He claimed to medical staff that he had drunk a litre of vodka. His aggressive behaviour continued on his way back to the police station.”

Miller admitted charges of having behaved in a threatening or abusive manner, on indictment and having a knife in a public place.

Solicitor Alex Burn said that Miller had no recollection of his behaviour but accepted he was responsible when he was told about it later.

The accused had moved south from Wick since the offence, to stay with his sister in Great Northern Road, Aberdeen. She was supporting him.

Sheriff Neil Wilson, who saw a background report, noted that Miller was engaging with social workers.

The sheriff told him: “It is not my job to make your life more difficult so I am not going to send you to prison.”

Sheriff Wilson ordered the accused to carry out 220 hours of unpaid community work while under supervision and stressed that the sentence was a direct alternative to prison.

The knife was forfeited.