A thug who threatened to “smash the face in” of an Aberdeen shop worker told police he was really quite a “timid guy”.
Matthew Clark repeatedly challenged a shop assistant at RS McColl’s to a fight and told one he’d “smash his face in” after he claims the cashier had called him a “junkie”.
The 42-year-old grandfather spent two nights in custody before admitting to behaving in a threatening and abusive manner during an appearance at Aberdeen Sheriff Court today.
Fiscal depute Emma Petersen said Clark was known to staff at the Hayton Road shop due to previous shoplifting incidents and that after they asked him to leave he made the violent threats.
Challenged shop worker to fight
“They ended up in an argument and he threatened to come back and ‘smash his face in’ and repeatedly asked him for a fight,” she said.
Clark did leave but returned two hours later, at 10pm on Monday.
“They were just about to close the shop when they saw him outside and given the earlier threats they returned into the store and called the police,” the fiscal added.
He fled before officers arrived but was later traced and arrested.
Clark told cops he was a “timid guy” and was just in a rage because they’d called him a “junkie”.
‘It was said out of rage’
He claimed: “I went in to buy a newspaper and as I was coming out the employee said to him ‘get out you junkie’.
“I said he should go outside and say that to me.
“I did say it but I would never have done it.
“It was said out of rage or anger. I am timid.”
Defence agent Alex Burn said his client had no intention of following through with his threats and has been working hard lately to reconnect with his daughter and grandchild.
“He accepts he did utter those threats but he had left by the time police arrived so there was no intention to carry them out,” Mr Burn added.
Sheriff Lesley Johnston ordered Clark, of St Machar Court, Aberdeen, to carry out 60 hours of unpaid work.
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