A teenage tearaway threatened to stab a receptionist with a kitchen knife at an Aberdeen city centre student accommodation block.
Kyle Clark, 18, had been visiting friends at the Mealmarket Exchange student flats on Mealmarket Street when an argument broke out.
The teen then produced a knife and when a member of staff at the site became involved Clark threatened to stab him.
Sheriff Graeme Napier branded Clark’s behaviour “disgraceful” and warned him: “I’m sure because you’re 18 you think you know it all – but you don’t.”
Fiscal depute Lynzi Souter told Aberdeen Sheriff Court: “At 11.45pm the complainer in charge one was within her room within the student accommodation.”
She then became aware Clark was also in the accommodation.
Mrs Souter said: “It appears that the complainer is friends with the accused, but at this point she was trying to distance herself from the accused due to his chaotic lifestyle choices.
“The complainer then decides to go to the friend’s room where the accused was to confront this other friend about having him within her room.
“This caused an argument between the accused and the complainer.
“The accused was seen to produce a black-handled kitchen knife from his person and hold it at about waist height while shouting at the complainer.
“The complainer attended at the reception area where she advised one of the members of staff at the student accommodation of what happened.
“He goes to see what’s going on.
“The accused became abusive towards him and threatened to stab him.
“Police were contacted and attended.
“The accused is thereafter dealt with by the police.
“His behaviour towards an officer is described as being hostile.
“He repeatedly acted in a racially aggregated manner stating the officer should go back to Ireland.
“His hostile behaviour continued whereby he made remarks about the current lockdown and began to repeatedly cough directly at the officer.
“As a result of his behaviour he was restrained and a spit hood was also placed on him.”
The officers recovered the knife, which had a blade length of just over 4.5 inches, in the kitchen area.
Clark pled guilty to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by shouting, swearing, acting in an aggressive manner, presenting a knife towards the female and making a threat of violence towards the accommodation member of staff.
He also pled guilty to acting in a racially aggravated manner and to assaulting a police officer by continuously coughing directly at him.
The incident happened on June 7.
Defence agent Charlie Benzies said his client was a “young man who had far too much to drink”.
The solicitor added: “He’s mortified by the behaviour that night.
“He tells me that since this incident it’s been a wake-up call for him and he hasn’t touched alcohol since then.”
Sheriff Graeme Napier told Clark, whose address was given in court papers as Forresterhill Road in Aberdeen: “I’m sure because you’re 18 you think you know it all – but you don’t.
“This is disgraceful behaviour.”
The sheriff ordered Clark to be supervised for 18 months and also imposed a three-month curfew on him as an alternative to a custodial sentence.
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