A man armed with a metal wrench lunged at an off-duty GEOAmey employee who blocked him from getting into a block of flats to buy drugs.
Patrick Selfridge grabbed the wrench when the man tried to stop him entering Hutcheon Court in Aberdeen to score drugs.
The employee of GEOAmey, which provides security services at prisons and courts, pushed the 39-year-old out of the building and held the door closed.
When Selfridge’s pleas to be allowed inside fell on deaf ears, he grabbed the wrench from his car and lunged at the man.
Fiscal depute Carol Gammie told Aberdeen Sheriff Court the complainer knew Selfridge through his employment with GEOAmey.
‘I was looking to score and he knew that’
At around 4.50pm on July 29 2021, the man was walking toward his home in Hutcheon Court while on the phone to his mother.
Ms Gammie said: “At the time, the accused approached him and made a comment indicating that he recognised that he was a GEOAmey employee.”
There was “interaction” between the men before the man entered the foyer of Hutcheon Court and noticed Selfridge had also entered.
Ms Gammie said: “The complainer pushed the accused out of the lift, and out of the building.
“Once removed from the building, the accused made several more attempts to enter but was prevented from doing so by the complainer.”
Selfridge then walked off and, while the man remained at the communal door, retrieved a “metal tyre wrench” from the boot of a car.
Ms Gammie said: “The accused returned to Hutcheon Court and walked quickly towards the complainer at the main entrance with his right hand, holding the wrench, behind his back.
“As he got closer, he took the wrench from behind his back and lunged towards the complainer, causing him to take a step back.
‘I didn’t intend on hurting anyone’
“The complainer grabbed hold of the accused’s left arm and pushed it towards his face, pushing him off balance.”
Selfridge then put the wrench back in his car and made “several more attempts” to enter the building, but was prevented from doing so by the GEOAmey employee, who told him to leave.
The man later reported the incident to police, who traced and arrested Selfridge.
Selfridge told police: “The guy was threatening me. I went and got whatever it was to get them away from me. It wasn’t like I was looking to hurt anyone. I was looking to score and he knew that.
“I showed the thing to him but didn’t intend on hurting anyone.
“I went to the building, then they started on me and chased me round the building and then I got it.”
Selfridge, a prisoner of HMP Grampian, pled guilty to assault and to possession of an offensive weapon.
‘Sick of junkies coming into the building’
Defence agent David Sutherland said his client had gone to source drugs at Hutcheon Court and had seen the complainer, adding there was “nothing untoward” in their initial exchange.
He said matters then went “downhill”, explaining: “Mr Selfridge is intent on securing drugs and the complainer is equally intent he would not get into the building to do so.”
Mr Sutherland referenced a witness statement from a neighbour in the building, who said Selfridge was trying to get back into the building and saying “come on, mate, let me in”.
The solicitor quoted the witness as saying: “My neighbour was balling at him, saying ‘you’re not f***ing getting in’ and was pushing him backwards away from the door.”
Mr Sutherland said the witness described the complainer as “very angry” and “going mental”, while Selfridge was “quite calm”.
He added that the complainer had “screamed” in Selfridge’s face “f*** off you junkie c***”, and said he was “sick of junkies coming into the building”.
Mr Sutherland said the witness reported seeing the complainer take out “a set of handcuffs” at which point he also saw Selfridge get the wrench.
He said, in the witness’ view, the complainer was “more in the wrong” than Selfridge.
Sheriff Philip Mann told Selfridge: “There’s no alternative to a custodial sentence here given the nature of the offences and your quite bad record.”
Selfridge was jailed for 12 months.
For all the latest court cases in Aberdeen, as well as the latest crime and breaking incidents, join our new Facebook group HERE.
