Workers were forced to lock themselves in their office after an Aberdeen man made threats to kill a passerby.
Richard Walton, 60, became irate in the street and was seen shouting and swearing at a member of the public before spitting in his face.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard that Walton terrified a group of local workers to such a degree they ran back in and locked their office door.
Fiscal depute Stephanie Cardow told the court that at around 1pm on Lord Hay’s Court, Seaton, workers observed Walton sitting on a wall at the front of their office.
A member of the public was walking past when Walton began shouting and “threatening to batter him”.
Three people in the office nearby heard this and went outside to try to calm Walton down.
Walton then continued to shout at the man, by telling him, among various other threats, “I will f****** kill you”.
He then spat in the face of the man.
“Due to the escalating behaviour and the observers being scared of the accused, they left and returned inside where they locked the office door and contacted police,” Ms Cardow said.
It was also stated that Walton told the man he would “annihilate him”.
In the dock, Walton pleaded guilty to one charge of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner.
He also admitted a second charge of breaching a court order not to approach his former partner.
‘Absolutely disgusting’
Defence solicitor Michael Horsman told the court that on the day in question his client was “distressed and angry”.
“He thought this man was taking an interest in his former partner,” the solicitor said.
“There was an argument between them and Mr Walton lost control and his temper – he has accepted responsibility for that.”
Sheriff Lesley Johnston described Walton’s behaviour as “absolutely disgusting” and stated that he had placed the man in a “state of fear and alarm”.
The sheriff made Walton, of Souter Head Road, Cove Bay, subject to a community payback order and ordered him to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work.
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