Man who stabbed pub table sent to jail

Alanarkshire man who stabbed a pub table with an eight-inch kitchen knife waslast weekjailed fora year and two months.

Charles Forrest had put the knife intoa tableat the Orb pub in Bellshill on September 16 thisyear.

Fiscaldepute Paula Russell told Hamilton Sheriff Courtlast Friday that anumber of people hadbeen in the bar’s smoking area at 9pm that night.

She said 38-year-old Forrest joined the party, but appeared to be behaving in an erraticmanner.there hadbeen“a certain amountof grandstanding”and Forrest stabbed the knife into a table.

Forrest wastraced by police officers at 11.40pm that night in relation to a separate matter.

He was found to have an injury to hishand andwastaken to Monklands Hospital for treatment. However,he was advisedhe was under arrest before surgery.

Forrest, whoseaddress wasgiven as Edinburgh Prison, admitted a charge of behaving ina threatening and abusive manner, but not guilty plea to a charge of having a knife in a public place was accepted by the Crown.

His agent Diarmidbruce told the court that Forrest’s mentalhealth was poorand he could see why people could perhaps consider him to be slightly erratic.

Forrest, he said, had gone to the toilet in the Orb that evening where there wasa youngman with a knife.

Mr Bruce saidhis client told the young mannot to be silly and took the knife from him.

Forrest then came back out of the toilet and struck the table with the knife. Mr Bruce said when Forrest left the pub he was attackedon hisway home.

When police arrived at Forrest’s house they noticed thathis finger hadbeen cut badly.

Forrest, he pointed out, camefrom a good family, but had“difficultieswith different substances”.

If steered in theright direction,said the solicitor, Forrest“could makea life for himself” andbe monitored.

However, Sheriff Davidbicketsaid Forrest’s recordgave himcausefor concern, pointing out thathe hadseven oreight previous offences involvingknives.

He declined to call forreports andjailed Forrest for 14 months, discounted from 18 months, due to his guilty plea.

Sheriff Bicket however did not imposean unexpired portion ofa 15-month sentence imposed in April thisyear on charges of assault to injury, behaving ina threatening and abusive manner and resisting police officers.