‘German’ is admonished after police knife threat

COURT: Fantasist changed his name and liked to parade around in Nazi regalia

A Nazi-era fantasist who pulled a knife on a police officer has been shown mercy after a sheriff was told he was dying.

Viktor von Werra, 62, was allowed to escape any punishment after Sheriff Christopher Shead admonished him at Perth Sheriff Court.

Von Werra, a Scot who pretends to be German and changed his name to honour a Luftwaffe pilot, told the court he had “a limited life expectancy” after being diagnosed with a chronic liver problem.

He clicked his heels in the dock and told the sheriff he had come to court to discover his fate.

Von Werra – whose birth name was Victor Benjamin – had to be tackled with CS spray after pulling a machete-style knife on a police officer.

He had phoned a nurse and told her he was going to stab someone in the community over claims the locals had turned against him because he liked to dress up in Nazi regalia.

He claimed he had a legitimate reason to have the knife in a public place because he was “gardening” but his story was described in court as incredible.

Von Werra was seen wandering the streets near his Comrie home with a large knife in his hand shortly after phoning nurse Simone Bryson.

She said: “He said he would have to leave town quickly. Then he said he would stab somebody. I then got a message saying he was in a bit of trouble and had stabbed somebody. I phoned the police.”

Von Werra was seen holding a large knife in his hand while talking to a police officer. He was then seen to walk back towards his home and go inside as PC Scott Ferguson followed him.

The police officer told the court: “It was a machete-type bladed article. He was holding it out in front of him. He did make a move towards me.

“I took hold of him. He started struggling with me. He’s fairly tall and heavily built so I tripped him with my foot and put him to the ground.” He said he had readied his CS spray to use.

Sheriff Shead found von Werra guilty of having a knife in a public place in Comrie, Perthshire, on September 23 2013.

The court was told the accused had moved to Maryhill Road, Glasgow.

He said he was the victim of an antiGerman conspiracy and had become a hate figure due to his fondness for parading around town in Nazi regalia.

Viktor von Werra arrives at court yesterday.