Man who brandished hammer, knife and pole awaits sentence

A Stirling man broke a metal pole in half during a disturbance outside a town address involving a crowd of people.

Stirling Sheriff Court heard this week that the incident, in spring last year, had taken place following the death of an occupant at a Colquhoun Street homeless flat.

Neighbour Kevin Dudgeon had admitted behaving in a threatening and abusive manner outside the address on April 29 last year and appeared for sentence at Stirling Sheriff Court on Wednesday.

The 29-year-old had brandished a metal pole, a knife and a hammer.

Fiscal depute Lindsey Brooks told the court that housing officers had chapped on the door of the property at 4pm that day as an occupant had died there. Police and ambulance had also attended the scene.

Dudgeon, said the fiscal depute, started making accusations about the man who had been inside the neighbouring flat.

Ms Brooks added:“a large number of people were at the locus. The accused was recognised as one of the people fighting.

“He was in possession of a large metal pole. He snapped it in half and was using it in a threatening manner towards others.

“Witnesses told the accused to go back inside [his home].”

Ms Brooks added that others took the pole off Dudgeon, who left the scene with a serrated steak knife and a hammer.

By the time police officers arrived, she added, the incident was over.

Dudgeon’s agent Virgil Crawford told Sheriff Derek Hamilton that following a Drug Treatment and Testing Order assessment, his client was considered suitable for a DTTO.

Sheriff Hamilton, however, noted that Dudgeon had been remanded on another matter last November and told Mr Crawford that a DTTO was “looking less probable”, with the case to recall later that morning.

However, when proceedings resumed Dudgeon was not in court. His lawyer said that Dudgeon had stated he had chest pains and had to attend hospital as an emergency.

Mr Crawford pointed out that since the April 29, 2022, offence before the court there was only one matter which did not result in a conviction.

He also told Sheriff Hamilton that Dudgeon had been sentenced on June 30, 2021, comprising a S16 return to prison order of 50 days plus an eight-month custodial sentence to be served consecutively. There was nothing else outstanding.

Sheriff Hamilton deferred sentence on Dudgeon until March 29 for his personal appearance and continued bail meantime.