Cop stand-off sword thug dodges jail time
A VIOLENT criminal brandished a sword and shield at police ... then asked if he could feed his chickens before being arrested.
During an armed stand-off at his Highland home, fervent nationalist Scott Morrison told officers: “Go back to England. I’m ready for war.”
Morrison, who left Scotland aged 12 in 1977, was deported from Australia after serving eight years for attempted murder.
But yesterday, he escaped a jail sentence at Inverness Sheriff Court after claiming he was “trying hard to stay out of trouble”.
Sheriff Margaret Neilson sentenced him to 225 hours of unpaid work.
Morrison, 51, served time Down Under for trying to stab a man to death and kneecapping a rival gang member.
After sentencing yesterday, he said: “I am grateful to the sheriff. The sentence beats porridge.
“I have done plenty of that in my time.
“I moved to the Highlands because I am trying hard to stay out of trouble and this was a hiccup – literally. I was drunk.
“When I saw the police coming in their vests and everything, I had a panic attack and did something stupid. I have had plenty of encounters with police in the past and they have been quite brutal.
“But I quickly saw sense and wanted to make sure my chickens were all right before I was taken to the cells.”
Morrison, of Brora, admitted a long list of prior convictions, including attacks on police.
At an earlier hearing, he also admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner at his home on June 3, uttering racist comments and brandishing a sword.
Prosecutor Michelle Molley told the court: “He was evidently intoxicated and shouted and swore at officers.”
She said Morrison came into his garden holding a targe (or traditional round shield) and a sword.
When officers pulled out CS gas spray to defend themselves, Morrison retreated into his house. Police finally persuaded him to come out unarmed.
The prosecutor added: “Five minutes later, he requested he tend to his chickens before he was handcuffed. His request was permitted.”
Defence lawyer Neil Wilson said: “He was drunk and it didn’t take long for him to see sense. Police were convinced he had calmed down when he asked to attend to his chickens.”
He added: “His offending has slowed down considerably and he has self-referred for alcohol counselling.
“He is now a hard-working man and is doing his best to stay out of trouble.”
Days after his deportation to the UK, father-of-seven Morrison sparked a major alert on Arran by claiming he had a gun and was going to kill himself.
He was also involved in another stand-off in Inverness when he brandished an air pistol and threatened to burn down the hostel where he was staying.