News / “Truly disgusting” behaviour
A MAN who admitted threatening his neighbours while “heavily” under the influence of drugs before smearing excrement on the walls of a police cell has been sent to jail for one year.
Craig Nelson, of no fixed abode, previously pled guilty to shouting, making threats and banging on doors and windows at an address at Scalloway’s Undirhoul on 5 February.
The 37 year old also admitted being in possession of a kitchen knife at the same address and maliciously smearing excrement over the walls of a cell at Lerwick Police Station later the same day.
At Lerwick Sheriff Court on Wednesday, procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie said Nelson’s neighbours were “rudely interrupted” by the man hammering on doors and windows at around 7.30pm in the evening.
He threatened to set the house on fire and was soon arrested by police, who later recovered a bladed kitchen knife from the area.
The man, who appeared in court from custody, later claimed he had thought his sister was going to be raped.
The fiscal said Nelson behaved in a “truly disgusting fashion” in the police station, and no medical condition could explain the amount of excrement smeared on the cell walls.
Defence agent Tommy Allan said his client was “heavily” under the influence of diazepam at the time after coming off methadone and was “very embarrassed and ashamed” by the incident.
Allan suggested the police cell incident was related to an ongoing health condition Nelson has that meant he attended court with a special machine.
Sheriff Philip Mann said that due to Nelson’s “bad” criminal record, prison was the only “appropriate” sentence. He jailed Nelson for a total of 12 months, backdated to when he first entered custody on 8 February.
The knife was also forfeited.
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