Pairjailed following fracasin thestreet

Two men have been jailed after police raced to a disturbance on a Motherwell street.

Andrew Walls was caught carrying a meat cleaver, while pal William Burns spat at a police officer as he was detained.

The pair, both described as prisoners, appeared from custody via videolink at Hamilton Sheriff Court on Friday.

Walls, 24, admitted unlawful possession of a bladed item at Anderson Tower on September 22.

Burns, 31, admitted assaulting PC Ross Dalrymple by spitting on his face at Coatbridge police station.

The court heard police were informed about a number of males involved in a disturbance around Anderson Tower and Watson Street shortly after 6pm.

Walls and Burns were seen on CCTV in a lift in the tower block.

Jennifer Mccabe, prosecuting, said: “Walls dropped a silver meat cleaver. He retrieved it from the floor, concealed it in his jacket and exited the lift at the seventh floor before entering his home address there.

“Police officers went to his flat and he opened the door to them. Burns was hiding in a bedroom cupboard. Both were arrested.

“At the police station Burns spat in the face of an officer who was holding his arm. The spittle landed on the officer’s face mask.”

Defence agent Diarmid Bruce said Walls had been drinking with friends during the day, but the “atmosphere” changed and he decided to get a blade.

The solicitor told Sheriff Thomas Millar: “He wasn’t threatening anyone with it, but accepts he should have discarded it. There was no good reason for having it at the point when the police saw him.”

Mr Bruce said Burns spat because he felt the police were being “heavy-handed” and the handcuffs were hurting him.

He added: “In the sober light of day he accepts what he did was disgusting and police have to contain their prisoners.”

Sheriff Millar noted that Walls was on five bail orders when he was caught with the meat cleaver.

He was jailed for 12 months, backdated to September 23 as he has been in custody since then.

Burns, who was also on bail, was given a 10-month sentence, again backdated.