A 20-year-old Inverness man who frightened two teenagers by brandishing a meat cleaver at them was ordered to carry out 225 hours of unpaid community work.
Aaron Matheson, of Firthview Drive, appeared for sentence yesterday at Inverness Sheriff Court after a background report had been prepared on him.
Sheriff Margaret Neilson also placed him under a year’s social work supervision after hearing that Matheson and his family were tackling his issues and he was a diligent worker.
Defence solicitor Marc Dickson said that his client had taken too much to drink and couldn’t remember much about the incident.
He added: “He is from a good family background, has changed his socialising, getting counselling and working very hard at problem solving.”
The court had been previously been told that Matheson approached the other youngsters and demanded to know the whereabouts of another youth and uttered an offensive remark about him.
He then shouted: “He is getting it.”
The incident took place in Charleston Court near the underpass in the Kinmylies area of the city on the night of June 16 last year.
Matheson admitted behaving in a threatening manner and possessing an offensive weapon in a public place.