A member of the public was praised for directing police to a house where a man had attacked his girlfriend with an ornamental sword.
Yesterday, at Inverness Sheriff Court, 39 year old David Cameron was jailed for nine months after admitting the assault with a Samurai sword and then threatening police with it.
Cameron, who now lives in Riddrie, Glasgow, had previously admitted the offences which occurred in Esk Road, Inverness on May 30 and sentence had been deferred for a background report.
At an earlier hearing Depute fiscal Roderick Urquhart said Cameron and his then partner attended a function and both had been drinking.
They returned to their flat where she fell asleep on the sofa and was woken by Cameron shouting at her and pulling her hair.
Mr Urquhart went on: “She ran into the bathroom and Cameron then threw the nozzle of a vacuum cleaner at her, striking her on the leg.
“A neighbour walking a dog heard a thud and saw Cameron strike his partner’s head against the window and repeatedly strike her with a blue object which was later identified as a children’s table.”
The fiscal said the neighbour went home and reported the incident to police, saying he would return to the street so he could direct officers to the right address.
“He has to be praised for his public-spiritedness. In the meantime, Cameron had picked up an ornamental eastern-style sword which was in a stand in the living room and struck his partner on the leg with it.
“She said it was not sharp but it was heavy.”
When the police arrived Cameron said he was not going to be arrested and picked up the sword which he held by his side, pointing downwards.
“Unknown to him there were three constables. Two were in the living room and the third came into the room with a police dog and came up behind him and ran at him and brought him down.”
Defence solicitor Eugene Boyle told Sheriff Gordon Fleetwood that the sword was ornamental and there was no sharpness to the blade nor was there any substantial injury.