A man has been jailed after threatening a labourer and a 14-year-old boy with an air pistol.
Daniel Stewart, 24, pulled the handgun from his boxer shorts and pointed it at the two workers accusing them of making too much noise putting up a fence.
Stewart told the man and the 14-year-old schoolboy, who was working with the garden services firm for the summer: “I’ll make you shut up.”
The pair then fled from the site on Lochside Road in Peterhead into a nearby property.
Stewart previously pled guilty to assault by brandishing an imitation firearm and threatening violence, as well as acting in a threatening or abusive manner, during a previous appearance in court.
He also admitted failing to appear at one of his court hearings.
Sheriff Morag McLaughlin jailed him for a total of 14 months yesterday.
Depute fiscal Katy Begg previously told Aberdeen Sheriff Court the incident happened on July 25 2017 at 11.30am.
She said: “They were approached by the accused who wished to complain about the noise they were making. The man tried to reason with the accused, who he described was in a ‘rage’.
“The accused then reached into his boxer shorts and produced a black handgun. He held the handgun and pointed it directly at both of them and said something like ‘I’ll make you shut up’.
“He then pulled the tip of the gun back and a clicking noise was heard, giving the impression that he was loading the gun. At that time he was about 20ft away.
“Fearing for their safety and believing the gun to be real, the witnesses immediately ran and sought refuge in the house they were working on.”
Stewart then headed to a neighbour’s property, produced the same gun and said: “I’ve just pulled this on some guys working on a fence down the road.”
When police arrived they surrounded the property and a “highly agitated” Stewart emerged shouting: “Go on shoot me, just shoot me, I’m not afraid of you.”
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Officers took hold of him and he began to “struggle violently” before being restrained to the ground.
The handgun was recovered from inside the property in a plastic bag underneath a duvet.
Ms Begg said in an interview Stewart, whose address was described in court papers as HMP Grampian, said he bought the gun “to use hunting rabbits”.
Asked what made him angry, he replied: “Noise.”
The gun was found to be a gas-powered soft air pistol designed to discharge 6mm BB pellets.
Michael Anderson, the advocate representing Stewart, told the sheriff his client had overdosed on drugs and had mental health difficulties.
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