Armed police were called to a street in Inverness after a man was seen holding a rifle and pointing it at passing traffic and members of the public.
When the armed response unit reached Kenneth Street they discovered Alan Craig still holding what turned out to be a fake rifle and ordered him to drop it.
Inverness Sheriff Court was told Craig already has previous convictions for carrying a toy gun in Inverness city centre and suffers from poor mental health.
Fiscal depute Sharon Ralph told Sheriff Sara Matheson that the incident happened on February 7 2023 Craig was spotted by a passing lorry driver.
He alerted police, telling them that he knew of Craig, 57, and his past record so believed the firearm was an imitation.
Police treated the report as a firearms incident and dispatched multiple units to Kenneth Street, which borders Craig’s home in Muirtown Street.
‘It was a plastic gun’
Mrs Ralph said: “An officer pointed his carbine at him and told him to drop the weapon.
“He did but put his hands in his pockets. He was instructed to take his hands out of his pockets, place them on his head and turn round which he did.
“It was a plastic gun.”
Craig admitted threatening or abusive behaviour with the fake rifle.
Defence solicitor Marc Dickson described his client as “a vulnerable individual who has had difficulties with substance misuse and poor mental health”.
Sheriff Matheson jailed Craig for nine months.
She told Craig, who appeared by video link: “I view this as a serious matter which occurred at a busy place in Inverness and required a large police presence.”
Craig’s previous convictions included carrying a toy gun in Inverness city centre in December last year claiming he was concerned about threats to his life.