Court / Man given supervision and unpaid work

A FIFTY seven year old man from Aith has been placed under supervision for 12 months and told to carry out unpaid work after appearing for sentencing at Lerwick Sheriff Court on Wednesday.

Hylton Henry, who is a former coxswain of the Aith lifeboat, had previously pled guilty to charges of assaulting his ex-partner at an address in the village on 27 May of this year.

Hylton, of Kulster, also admitted to behaving in a threatening manner whilst in possession of a knife, as well as a further charge of being in possession of a knife without reasonable excuse.

The court heard how an argument between the couple developed in the evening of 27 May which quickly got out of hand.

Procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie described to the court how Henry grabbed the woman by her throat and pushed her against a wall, and when she shouted for her son he grabbed harder so that she was struggling to breathe.

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She sustained bruising to her right cheek and scratches to her neck, the court heard.

When Henry left the house that night, she locked herself in. Half an hour later she saw Henry approaching the house carrying a six-inch knife.

In mitigation, defence solicitor Tommy Allan said his client did not want to deflect from his responsibility and accepts that turning up with a knife in this situation would cause fear and alarm.

Henry had previously explained that he wanted to use the knife to get back into the house.

Allan said Henry had held a responsible position in the community for all of his working life but found it difficult to cope after having to give up the position.

He was not coping and could not control his behaviour, the solicitor said, adding that although there was an element of provocation, Henry accepted his responsibility.

Referring to a very favourable social enquiry report sheriff Ian Cruickshank told Henry that it would be “entirely inappropriate” to impose a custodial sentence.

Instead, and as an alternative to a prison sentence, he put Henry on supervision for a year and ordered him to carry out 125 hours of unpaid work.

The sheriff also imposed a non-harassment order for 12 months and told Henry not to contact or attempt to contact his ex-partner during that period.