A Methven man who pitched up at a property in Perth out of the blue - and demanded a couple give him money owed to him - produced an axe when they failed to hand over the sum.
Andrew Charles Donaldson went on to threaten he would hurt the couple’s son who he claimed owed him the amount in a desperate bid to secure cash to pay his rent, Perth Sheriff Court was told last week.
A solicitor acting for Donaldson explained he turned up at the address in Muircroft Terrace West unexpectedly one day in July last year to demand the cash because he had fallen behind with payments for his house.
“He had some rent arrears,” the solicitor said. “He was desperate to get the money back.”
The solicitor said when Donaldson’s efforts to persuade the couple to give him the money allegedly owed to him failed he then went to his car and produced a camping axe from the passenger side to “scare” them.
“He did not approach them with it,” the solicitor said in mitigation. “It was simply a case he wanted to scare them. Afterwards he felt dreadful and handed himself over to the police.
“He has admitted to me he lost the plot. His position is he is not a violent man.”
Donaldson (40), of Culdeesland Road, Methven, admitted that on July 3 last year he attended the Muircroft Terrace West property uninvited, repeatedly shout, swore, made threats of violence and demanded money from the couple.
He further admitted taking hold of an axe and threatening to harm their son with it as part of the same charge.
Sheriff William Wood told Donaldson before passing sentence: “This was an appalling incident. They [the couple] were minding their own business and you come demanding money.”
Noting Donaldson had a previous conviction from 2006 said earlier in court to have involved a “scrap” he had with a love rival Sheriff Wood went on: “You have something of a record. It’s time you realised when you’re getting angry the thing to do is step back, not step forward.”
He sentenced Donaldson to complete 180 hours of community service, reduced from 200 to take into account him pleading guilty at an early stage.
Sheriff Wood also imposed a restriction of liberty order on Donaldson banning him being anywhere else but his home address from 7pm to 7am for 12 weeks.
A motion was also granted for forfeiture of the axe Donaldson took hold of during the incident.
