A bleeding man who was found by police in a “distressed” state was carrying a screwdriver in his waistband.
Sean McAdam was injured and had blood on his face when officers stopped him on Bruce Gardens in Inverness.
When they searched him they found a screwdriver in the waistband of his trousers, which he claimed he “didn’t know” was there.
McAdam appeared at Inverness Sheriff Court for sentencing having previously admitted a charge of having a bladed or sharply pointed article in a public place on September 5 of last year.
Fiscal depute Shay Treanor told the court: “Police witnesses attended at the locus in response to a call from a member of the public stating there was a male in their garden.”
Blood on face, hands, clothes
Officers arrived and traced McAdam who was injured and had blood on his face, hands and clothes.
He was searched and a screwdriver found in the waistband of his trousers.
“He stated that he didn’t know it was there,” Mr Treanor told Sheriff Eilidh MacDonald.
Solicitor Marc Dickson, for McAdam, told the court his client had “a less than perfect recollection” of events on that day.
He had been drinking
He said: “He had been drinking at the time.”
Mr Dickson pointed out that police officers had found McAdam “distressed, crying and bleeding” and highlighted that his client had been cooperative.
Mr Dickson told Sheriff MacDonald: “He can’t recall what happened to him or how he came to be there.”
Sheriff MacDonald told McAdam, of Bruce Gardens: “You have been to jail for things like this before, you ought to know better. I’m sure you don’t want to go back to jail.”
She placed the 27-year-old on a community payback order with 18 months supervision and told him: “I think you need a bit more help”.
The sheriff also granted a Crown motion for the forfeiture of the screwdriver.