Court / Man given two month prison term

3 February 2021 14:12

A MAN from Lerwick who admitted making threats to a supermarket worker before struggling with police officers has been given a prison sentence.

Grant Huntington, of Union St, appeared from custody at Lerwick Sheriff Court via video link on Wednesday for sentencing.

The 32-year-old previously pleaded guilty to a number of offences which took place at the Co-op in Lerwick on 26 November.

Huntington admitted stealing a bottle of spirits, behaving aggressively towards a member of staff and making threats, and repeatedly striking windows with a bottle.

He also admitted making threats to police officers while en route to the local station and struggling with them.

Huntington also pleaded guilty to repeatedly spitting within the confines of the police vehicle and urinating on the door and floor of a custody cell.

He further admitted assaulting a woman at the Co-op by throwing a bottle top at her.

The 32-year-old also pleaded guilty to breaking a window at a Lerwick property on 15 December before entering, lying on a bed and refusing to leave.

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Defence agent Tommy Allan said Huntington had no recollection of the incidents at the Co-op due to consuming alcohol on top of medication.

“When he was released from custody he went to the Co-op to try to apologise to the person involved, but he was unfortunately unable to speak to her,” Allan said.

With regards to the December incident, the solicitor said Huntington was trying to access his partner’s property after struggling to find somewhere suitable to stay overnight as there was no electricity or food in his house, and had concerns over his safety.

Allan encouraged sheriff Ian Cruickshank to consider all sentencing options, noting that his client had been in custody since mid-December – meaning he had been “punished to some extent already”.

Cruickshank gave Huntington a prison term of two months for the offence relating to the broken window, backdating it to when he first entered custody on 16 December.

He also placed Huntington under a community payback order for the November incidents as a direct alternative to custody.

The order included 15 months of supervision and 100 hours of unpaid work.

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