A furious Scot challenged a relative to a graveyard duel and told him: "Only one of us will make it out alive." Randolph Angus demanded family member Kenneth Clarke turn up to fight to the death after a feud escalated during a funeral.
Angus, 60, told his rival to bring a weapon for the old-fashioned duel at the historic Greyfriars cemetery in Perth. He told Mr Clarke to get tooled up for the face-off during a menacing phone call, Perth Sheriff Court was told.
Angus, Cromlix Road, Perth, admitted causing fear or alarm by behaving in a threatening or abusive manner in the city on 9 March. Fiscal depute Sarah Wilkinson told the court: "There has been a long running family dispute between the accused and the complainer, Mr Clarke.
"On March 8, they attended at a funeral in Perth. At this occasion, the accused did not speak to the complainer and the complainer did not speak to the accused. The following day, at about 1.45pm, the complainer phoned the accused from his work’s van. Mr Clarke was calm throughout this call.
"He asked the accused to leave his mother alone. The accused instantly became agitated. He stated to the complainer that he should meet him behind a shed at Greyfriars cemetery and told him to bring tools.
"He said that only one of them would make it out alive," Ms Wilkinson told the court. Angus ended the call after laying down the challenge.
Solicitor Paul Ralph said: "Mr Angus knows it is not a very edifying spectacle to come before the court at the age of 60. His perception is that he tried to shake Mr Clarke's hand at the funeral and that Mr Clarke refused.
"He admits that that just annoyed him. It triggered the reaction which, he knows, was not appropriate in any way."
Sheriff Robert Carr deferred sentence for six months to give Angus the chance to prove to the court he can stay out of trouble. He said: "As Mr Ralph has said, this was not at all an appropriate way to conduct yourself but I understand you are remorseful."
Sheriff Carr told Angus that if he was able to maintain good behaviour until he is sentenced next March he may be admonished.
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