Kidswereleft frightenedby pensioner

Several children, aged five-12, were left “frightened” after a pensioner lost the plot and subjected a head teacher to a volley of abuse at a Perthshire primary school.

Perth Sheriff Court was told that 75-year-old John Blinkhorne, of Main Street, Longforgan, became aggressive, repeatedly shouted and swore and refused to calm down.

The police were called and he was charged.

He admitted by letter that on March 18, 2020, at the school, he behaved in a threatening or abusive manner, likely to cause a reasonable person to suffer “fear or alarm,” by acting in an aggressive manner, repeatedly shouting and swearing and refusing to stop when asked to do so by teaching staff.

Depute fiscal Lisa Marshall said Blinkhorn had been contacted and asked to pick up a child from school.

But he was unhappy about the situation and shouted at the head teacher: “I’m so angry about this.”

The head teacher tried to explain but he responded: “You caused the problem - you better deal with it.”

Many of the children were frightened at his behaviour but he “refused to calm down.”

The fiscal added: “He was shouting at the top of his voice: ‘This is your problem - you better sort it.’

“He was asked a number of times to stop shouting.

“The head teacher was left upset and shaken,” she added.

In an email to the court, Blinkhorne conceded he had been “cross” at the way the school had handled the situation and admitted he had raised his voice.

He added that he “just wanted” to get the child away from the school.

Sheriff Neil Bowie deferred sentence on the accused. He added: “Because of his age, it would be inappropriate for him to come to court in the foreseeable future.”

Sentence was deferred until May 12. He asked the prosecution to confirm the accused had not come to the attention of the police again during that time.