Man had machete in boot of car
Cops found a machete with a two foot blade in the boot of a car after it had been stopped on a Stirling road.
A knife with a three-inch blade was also found in the boot of the Ford.
It had been stopped on Kerse Road on the afternoon of September 19 last year after the police discovered it had no insurance.
The driver, 22-year-old Jake Govan, escaped a jail term when he appeared at Stirling Sheriff Court for sentence on Wednesday.
He had admitted charges of driving without insurance – and two charges of having an article with a blade without lawful authority.
Fiscal depute Sean Iles told the court that two police witnesses had been on mobile patrol on Kerse Road at 1pm.
They carried out checks which found the car had no insurance and stopped the vehicle.
Mr Iles said Govan was its sole occupant and when cautioned and charged he made no reply.
The accused was informed that the vehicle was to be seized which he accepted.
The fiscal depute added that police took the car back to Stirling Police Office.
While driving there a loud rattling sound could be heard indicating that there was something loose in the boot.
When the boot was opened at the police station, Mr Iles said, a knife was lying on the top of the boot liner and a red handle was sticking out from underneath the boot liner.
When the boot liner was lifted up a machete was seen lying on top of the spare wheel.
Govan, a removal firm employee, was later cautioned and charged in relation to these offences and repeatedly insisted they were ‘tools for work.’
Mr Iles pointed out that the machete had a blade measuring two feet long and the knife’s blade was three inches.
Govan, who was representing himself, told Sheriff Charles Lugton “it was a mistake to be honest”.
Sheriff Lugton noted that Govan had 75 hours’ unpaid work outstanding on a community payback order which he described as “unimpressive”. The accused responded that he had not understood the terms of the order.
Sheriff Lugton said his options were to jail Govan – or impose a curfew or unpaid work as an alternative to custody.
Sheriff Lugton pointed out that the report prepared for court mentioned that Govan was to become a father later this month which was something he had to consider.
Sheriff Lugton told Govan that the charges involving the weapons however were “very serious” and imposed a Restriction of Liberty Order (tag) as a direct alternative to custody.
The order confines Govan to home between the hours of 7pm and 7am daily for six months.
He admonished Govan - whose address was given as Forth Street, Stirling – on the driving without insurance charge, and his licence was endorsed with six penalty points.