Angry drinker’s champagne bottle stand-off with bar staff

Pub staff became involved in a bizarre and frightening standoff with a customer after he “lost it” over a £75 bottle of bubbly.

Gary Chalmers made the “impulse decision” to splash out on the champagne as his night out at the Venue in Perth’s St John Street neared an end.

However, when it came time for the bar to close its doors he had consumed only a small amount of the drink.

Perth Sheriff Court heard that when he was told he couldn’t take the bottle with him, he threatened licensee Frank Burgerseed and his team with violence.

Grabbing the bottle by the neck, he brandished it at them, saying: “I’ll slash you if you don’t step back. I’ll put this right through your necks” and “I’ll rip the skull out of you”.

Police officers were called, only for the 37-year-old to turn his ire on them. A small amount of cocaine was recovered from his pocket as he was arrested.

Solicitor David Holmes said: “He had bought the bottle about 20 minutes earlier and thought he would be able to take it home.

“Sadly he was told he could not. Things did not go well thereafter.”

Chalmers, previously of Perth but now of South Parks Road, Glenrothes, admitted behaving in a threatening and abusive manner on May 7 this year.

He also admitted assaulting a staff member by approaching him while brandishing a bottle and threatening to put it through his face, threatening police officers and being in possession of cocaine.

Chalmers was ordered to carry out 210 hours of unpaid work and restricted to his home between the hours of 8pm and 6.30am for three months.