A homeless man who committed three crimes just hours after being released from court on bail, was jailed for 16 months at Inverness Sheriff Court yesterday.
Ian Whiteford, 41, was in custody and due to stand trial on February 23 but witnesses did not turn up and the trial was postponed to another date.
The court was told Whiteford was released on bail and later that day punched Angus Macrae in the face after an argument with him in the city centre.
Lawyer Willie Young told Sheriff Derek Livingston: “He had been living with a partner but then discovered she was seeing someone else. That was the man he punched.
“Since he was homeless and had nowhere to go, he then went to Nairn and the home of another former partner. But he was already on a condition of bail not to approach her either.”
The court was told Whiteford remained there overnight and when he woke in the morning, he wanted a lift back to Inverness.
An argument developed and he grabbed a steak knife.
Fiscal depute Stewart MacIver said: “He claimed he was going to go back to Inverness and stab people, and then threatened to stab the woman and her father.
“Police were called and when arrested, he still had the knife in his waistband.”
Whiteford admitted assault, breaching bail and behaving in a threatening manner by presenting a knife.
Sheriff Livingston told Whiteford: “You were released on bail on February 23 and you managed within hours to commit three serious criminal offences. Clearly society needs to be protected from you because you do not adhere to orders of the court.”