Man abused cops after they found knife in his bag

A MAN told cops they were “rat bampots” after they arrested him for having a knife in his bag.

John Murphy, 52, appeared at Glasgow Sheriff Court on Thursday following the incident on the night of March 16, 2021.

Prosecutor Jennifer Sillars said: “At 10.40pm, police were on patrol. Officers had cause to pursue the accused in relation to a matter which is not before the court. A report had been made by a member of the public.

“They traced the accused at Glasgow Green and engaged the accused in conversation. They deemed him to be acting nervously and noted a smell of cannabis.

“He was detained for a search.”

Cops found a knife with a three- inch blade in Murphy’s rucksack.

Ms Sillars added: “The accused was cautioned and charged. He became hostile and aggressive towards police, shouting ‘ f** k off you w***** s’, ‘ w***** s’, ‘ rat bampots’, and called police ‘ rat f*** s’.

“He was placed in handcuffs and conveyed to Stewart Street police office.”

Murphy’s lawyer told the court the police approached his client and accused him of something “that he had absolutely nothing to do with”.

The defence solicitor added: “They called him something I won’t articulate in court, and that was really what sparked this. That’s why he started to speak to the police the way he did.

“He had the knife in his rucksack. He also had a fork and plate in his rucksack which he takes to work. His last conviction was some time ago.”

Sheriff Amel Elfallah told Murphy: “Possession of a knife in Glasgow is an extremely serious offence considering the difficulty with knife crime.

“I appreciate the reason given for you having the knife.”

He was tagged and ordered to stay in his home in the Gorbals between 7pm- 7am for 60 days.