Tillicoultry teenage knife yob is jailed

A teenager who brandished a knife at a man who refused him a cigarette outside a Tillicoultry pub was this week caged for a year and two months.

Leslie Weir had also made threats to ‘stab anybody’ during the late-night incident by the Bridge Inn in the village’s High Street on June 2 last year.

The 19-year-old had admitted charges of behaving in a threatening and abusive manner and having a knife in a public place.

Stirling Sheriff Court was told last month that Christopher Mitchell had been standing outside the Bridge Inn at 11.30pm for a smoke.

Weir approached him and asked him for a cigarette, but when Mr Mitchell refused Weir became aggressive and began shouting. He also produced a silver-bladed knife which a witness described as having a Stanley knife style blade. Weir had also said: ‘I’ll stab anybody.’

A patron in the Royal Arms opposite heard the commotion and saw Weir brandishing the knife at a male in the street.

Weir was heard to say: ‘I’m going to stab you.’ He was also heard to say to various members of the public: ‘Come on then!’

At one point a witness had seen Weir moving eastwards along High Street before making his way back towards the pub again.

A witness contacted the police and Weir was later traced by officers. He made no reply to caution and charge. The knife however was not recovered.

When Weir appeared at Stirling Sheriff Court for sentence on Wednesday his lawyer told Sheriff Wyllie Robertson that his client had told the author of the social work report circumstances which had not made their way into the report prepared for the court.

Weir, said the solicitor, had told him he had been in a pub that night with his mother, cousin and a female aquaintance. They had been drinking and there was no particular problem within the premises.

However, Weir had said that at some stage he went into the toilet where Mr Mitchell was present and verbal exchanges took place between them. Mr Mitchell had a Stanley knife and dropped it on the floor of the toilet. However, Weir had been unable to offer any explanation why he had picked up the knife. He put it in his pocket and went back into the bar to socialise.

Weir had gone outside with his cousin “to allow his cousin to cool off ” but this, said the lawyer, had nothing to do with Mr Mitchell.

“Coincidentally” Mr Mitchell was outside and had approached the accused “aggressively” making threats. It was at that point Weir took the knife out of his pocket.

The lawyer also pointed out that Weir had been under the influence of alcohol which “perhaps goes some way to explain his behaviour.”

He pointed out that Weir had cut down his cannabis consumption considerably and was no longer drinking alcohol.

A similar conviction, the lawyer said, had involved a knife which Weir had previously used on a fishing trip and the plea had been tendered on that basis.

However Sheriff Robertson told Weir: “These are serious offences and I note from the narrative that the knife was placed in the waistband of your trousers.

“Despite not having previously been sentenced to custody, you have analogous previous convictions.”

Sheriff Robertson added that the only appropriate sentence was a custodial one and sentenced Weir to 14 months in cumulo reduced from 18 months to reflect the guilty pleas.