Perth man jailed after terrifying mother with kitchen knives

A terrified mum was forced to turn her son in to police, amid fears he planned to rob a friend at knifepoint in a desperate bid to score money for drugs.

Perth Sheriff Court was told repeat offender Liam Pringle had been making efforts to get back on the straight and narrow.

After his methadone was cutoff, however, he self-destructed, mixing prescribed medication with heroin, cannabis and huge amounts of alcohol.

On February 21, this pattern of behaviour saw the 29-yearold demand that his mother drive him to a friend’s house, after grabbing two large knives from her kitchen.

She was so worried by his demeanour that she fled her home, intending to drive away, only for Pringle to follow and jump into a rear passenger seat.

His mother drove a short distance as he sat in the back, until spotting two police officers in a marked patrol vehicle.

She confided in them that he had two knives, one of which – with a five-and-a-half-inch blade – they could see in his hand.

Pringle, described as a prisoner at Perth, admitted being in possession of two knives in a public place but claimed he had no idea what he intended to do with them.

Sheriff William Wood told him: “You may yet have future prospects but, in the meantime, you were using illicit drugs and alcohol in a way that was clearly harmful to your fragile mental health.

“Your mother was so concerned for her safety she felt moved to flee her own house.

“If you cannot change then your life will simply be a revolving door in and out of Perth Prison.”

Pringle was jailed for 14 months.