Sword man sparked panic

Aman who sparked a panic when he walked down a Fife street carrying a samurai sword was trying to sell it to buy drugs, a court has heard.

Jason King was spotted with the “very long” weapon when he visited two addresses in Lochgelly.

At one point, the 48-yearold held the sword aloft, causing a worried neighbour to fear he intended to strike someone with it.

Dunfermline Sheriff Court heard frightened residents raised the alarm and police were scrambled to the scene. King admitted possession of the sword in a public place on September 9 2020.

Fiscal depute Zahra Bhatti told the court: “At 4pm two witnesses were sitting in their respective living rooms. One witness observed the accused walking from the junction of Grainger Street and Russell Street. He observed that the accused was holding a sword in his hands and the blade was concealed in a sheath.”

Ms Bhatti said: “Both watched as he approached an address on Russell Street and chapped on the door.”

She said that King received no reply and tried the window instead before walking to another property.

“A witness observed the accused holding the sword in his right hand and it’s described as being ‘very long’,” she said.

“The accused was watched as he approached another door and removed the sword from the sheath, which he then pointed upwards.

“This gave the witness the impression he wanted to swing it at someone.”

On receiving no reply at the second address King sat on the doorstep for a time before leaving, and was apprehended by police nearby.

Solicitor Zander Flett, defending, described the weapon as a “souvenir sword”.

He said: “These addresses are all a short distance from what was his home address. When police found him he was going back there.

“He intended to sell the souvenir sword to try and get money to get drugs. It didn’t occur to him that it might have caused some alarm. It is significant that he didn’t intend harm – as borne out by the fact he simply sat on the doorstep.”

King, of Craigleith Avenue, Inverkeithing, will be sentenced next month.

ALARM: Jason King was spotted with a samurai sword at Grainger Street, Lochgelly.