A construction firm boss was behind bars today after a two-week campaign of violence and intimidation against his own family and friends.
Alistair Brownie’s bizarre behaviour included flashing his penis at his own mum, decapitating a toy dog, setting fire to the entrance of a friend’s home and attacking a Range Rover with a claw hammer.
The 35-year-old has now been locked up after he repeatedly breached an order to stay away from his mum at her home in rural Aberdeenshire.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told Brownie’s wife and young son had left their marital home in Sauchen 12 months prior, citing his “erratic behaviour”, and moved in with his mum.
The businessman, who owns construction firm Landmark Developments, turned up at his mum’s Sauchen home at 6.15am on March 14 and began rifling through kitchen drawers.
Flashed his own mum
Fiscal depute Carol Gammie said: “During this time the accused repeatedly pulled down his trousers exposing his penis and began spinning it around, to his mother’s alarm.”
Brownie then began shouting and swearing about how he was going to burn his friend’s nearby home to the ground before pouring diesel over one of his mum’s decorations and stuffing it into a jerry can of fuel and leaving the property in his van.
“He drove off in the direction of Linton Farmhouse, owned by family friends of the accused,” the fiscal added.
“After he left his mum noticed an axe belonging to her in the back garden, with its blade stuck into the ground.
“The axe had been used to decapitate a dog toy, which added to her alarm and concern about him.”
Just 20 minutes later Brownie’s van was spotted by a passerby at the entrance to the farmhouse.
“He saw him waving a blue object around and then noticed that the sign at the entrance to the farm was on fire,” the fiscal added.
Police were contacted and traced Brownie to his home in Sauchen. His van was in the driveway with a jerry can in the footwell.
Repeatedly ignored bail conditions
Brownie resisted arrest and spent the night in the cells before appearing in court the following day. He was given special bail conditions not to contact his mum.
But less than a day later he made numerous calls and texts to his mum before taking a taxi to her home armed with a hammer.
“He was seen to exit the taxi with a claw hammer in his hand,” the fiscal added.
“He walked over to (his mum’s) Range Rover and struck the hood of the vehicle twice, causing two large scratches. He then re-entered the taxi and went home.”
His frightening behaviour got him another night in the cells.
When he was released he had more bail conditions imposed, including a curfew restricting him to his own home at night.
But just six days later he was pestering his family again, this time demanding money and hurling an ornament through the window in the dead of night.
Ms Gammie said Brownie had made numerous number-withheld calls to his mum demanding £21 before heading to her home at 2.20am on Monday, March 28.
“They were awoken by the family dog barking and got out of their beds,” the fiscal said.
“As they headed downstairs to investigate they heard the sound of glass smashing.
“At the back door they saw the accused walking away towards a taxi. A kitchen window had been smashed and they observed a candle on the floor with a note attached that read ‘£21 thank you’.”
His wife recognised the ornament as one from their previous family home.
Being held behind bars
This time Brownie was arrested and remanded in custody at HMP Grampian, where he appeared via videolink to admit nine charges.
These included multiple threatening and abusive behaviour offences, wilful fire-raising, resisting arrest, domestic abuse, culpable and reckless conduct and bail and curfew breaches.
Brownie’s defence agent, Charlie Benzies, said his client’s six staff at Landmark Developments were facing an uncertain future given Brownie had been remanded since March.
However, Sheriff Ian Wallace refused bail and deferred sentence on Brownie for four weeks.
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