A troubled former British soldier got drunk and made threats to kill his neighbour before throwing a garden gnome at the man’s living room window.
Aaron Barry flew into a rage when he had to extinguish a barbecue fire that had broken out in his neighbour’s garden that had spread to patio furniture.
Throwing a garden gnome and a plant pot at his neighbour’s Countesswells house, the 33-year-old then attacked police officers when they came to arrest him for repeatedly threatening to “kill” the man.
Barry – who suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from his time in the army – also received his fourth drink-drive conviction.
Accused wanted to fight neighbour
Fiscal depute Lydia Ross told Aberdeen Sheriff Court that at around 6.50pm on July 16 last year Barry’s neighbours had finished a barbecue and taken their dog out for a walk when some garden furniture caught fire.
Barry was seen by other witnesses leaping over his neighbour’s fence with a hose and extinguishing the blaze.
Seeing that Barry was “highly agitated”, one man tried to calm him down but he started kicking his neighbour’s front door while shouting he was “going to f****** kill them”.
The former squaddie then picked up a garden gnome and threw it at their living room window – which broke the gnome but only caused slight damage to the window.
Barry then picked up a plant pot and threw it at the front door, which broke the pot but only caused superficial damage to the door.
When his neighbours returned they saw the damage to their property and an argument ensued between the male homeowner, with Barry threatening to “fight” him.
The police arrived and attempted to restrain Barry, who began to kick upwards at head height, striking the constables a number of times to the head and body.
He was eventually restrained and straps were placed around his legs, whereby Barry tried to bite the officer but only succeeded in biting his boot.
While “growling” at the officers, Barry was led to a police van where he kicked another police officer in the stomach.
Told police ‘not to let him out’ or he would harm man
Two days later, the same neighbours were in their garden when Barry came to his window and shouted “Why the f*** are you looking at me? I’ll cut your throat!”
He then disappeared from the window and his neighbour called the police.
However, Barry was soon banging on his front door and demanding that he come out.
When the man appeared at his front gate, Barry grabbed him and hit him to the neck with his left hand.
Barry, now of Raby Way, Newcastle, continued to make threats to kill the man, adding that his “family is coming up here” to get the man and that he would “slit his throat”.
Upon being arrested, Barry was taken to Kittybrewster Police Station where he continued to make threats towards his neighbour.
The former soldier told the officers “not to let him out” or he would “kill” his neighbour and “chop him up”.
The court also heard about a separate incident in which Barry was stopped while driving a black BMW “erratically” and was found to have slurred speech and was acting in a strange manner.
When breathalysed Barry gave a reading of 31 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 22mcg.
Barry pleaded guilty to four charges of assault and two charges of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner.
He also admitted to one charge of drink-driving.
Fourth drink-driving ban
Defence solicitor Paul Barnett that his client had been suffering from PTSD after serving in the British Army.
“He had 10 years of active service in war zones,” he said.
“The country is happy to send men to war and then they are released with no support.
“I think the best that can be said about these incidents is that at least no one was physically injured.”
Mr Barnett also confirmed that this would be Barry’s fourth conviction for drink-driving.
“He knows the court will look very seriously at this as it reaches the custody threshold,” he said.
Sheriff Shirley McKenna described Barry’s behaviour towards his neighbours as “appalling” but said she was happy to see that he was now receiving some support for his issues.
She added that he had avoided prison time by “a whisker”.
As an alternative to a prison sentence, she made Barry subject to a CPO with supervision for 12 months and ordered him to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.
Adding that his driving convictions caused her “huge concern”, the sheriff also banned Barry from driving for six years.
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