Armed police were called to the home of a man who had removed his wife’s shotgun from a locked gun cabinet following an argument over an unwanted gift.
Andrew Walters’ wife returned home from a meeting during the early evening of October 9 this year to find the front door locked – and when she looked at her phone she saw that her husband had forwarded a picture of a shotgun she owned.
The WhatsApp message also included a garbled message that suggested he had gotten hold of the keys to her gun cabinet and had removed a shotgun.
Walters’ concerned wife called the police and soon a team of firearms officers swooped on their home in Durris, near Banchory.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard the 67-year-old had ordered his wife a present only days before and was annoyed when it arrived by mail and she shunned the gift.
When Walters eventually gave himself up to police he was noted to be in an “agitated and intoxicated” state.
Police later found four mature cannabis plants at his property.
WhatsApp message showed shotgun out of its case
Fiscal depute Georgia Laird told the court that between 10 and 11am on October 6 this year the postman had delivered a package to Walters’ home which he presented to his wife but got no response.
A short time later, the woman asked where the gift was and Walters showed her it and beckoned her over but she refused.
The couple did not speak over the weekend but Walter’s, angry about his gift being rejected, later called his wife a “bitch” and a “whore”.
During a subsequent argument, Walters grabbed his wife by the ear and pulled her into the dining room to show her the object he’d purchased.
On the evening of October 9, Walters’ wife left their home to attend a meeting leaving her husband in the house.
When she returned at around 9.30pm she found the front door to the property locked and when she returned to her car she found her husband had forwarded a WhatsApp picture of her shotgun.
It included the words: “How exciting. Cabinet keys. A whore of a wife. Cannabis heaven. Good night.”
Walters sent a further message stating: “f**k off, slut.”
The woman called the police as she realised Walters had managed to gain access to her locked gun cabinet and had removed a shotgun.
Firearms officers arrived at around 11pm and made numerous attempts call Walters via telephone but got no response.
His wife informed the officers that she thought he might be under the influence of cannabis and “may have been growing it in a greenhouse at the locus”, Ms Laird said.
Later that night, Walter’s complied with the firearms officers and gave himself up but was seen to be in an “agitated and intoxicated state”.
As he was arrested, Walters stated that he had been “asleep in bed” and told officers “you woke me up” and that they were to “leave his dogs alone”.
At 3.25am officers went to the rear of Walters’ property and found four mature plants that later turned out to cannabis.
Appearing in the dock, Walters pleaded guilty to one charge of engaging in a course of behaviour that was abusive to his partner and a second charge of being in possession of a shotgun for which he did not have a certificate.
He also admitted a third charge of producing a controlled drug.
Defence solicitor Paul Barnett called for reports to be carried out into his client’s background.
Sheriff Margaret Hodge deferred sentence on Walters, now of Burngrange Gardens, West Calder, in order for a criminal justice social work and a restriction of liberty order assessment to be carried out.
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