An Aberdeen council gardener has been given a rare absolute discharge after admitting to having a flick knife in his home.
Engineers from EON Energy broke into Scott Farquhar’s flat after he failed to reply to requests from them to gain entry to check the safety of his electricity meter.
Once inside, the workers claimed they had discovered firearms and immediately contacted the police.
No firearms found
Fiscal depute Lydia Williams told the court that when police arrived at the 50-year-old’s Elmbank Terrace address they found no such weapons, but instead did recover a 9cm long flick knife.
Farquhar only became aware of the unfolding drama when he came home for his lunch around noon on February 20 2024.
His defence agent Tony Burgess said his client was pleading guilty to the one charge of possessing a knife but was seeking to get an absolute discharge for the crime.
He questioned the legality of Eon’s entry warrant and said: “The items were directly linked to his employment.
“He works with Aberdeen City Council as a landscape gardener and has been in that role for 20 years.”
Knife used for gardening
Mr Burgess went on to say Farquhar had been part of the gardening team who had worked on numerous Britain in Bloom prize-winning displays, playing a “significant part”.
“The item in question has been described by Mr Farquhar as a retractable blade, much like a Stanley knife,” Mr Burgess explained.
“He had that knife for a considerable period and says it was a working tool.
“He did not know it was a prohibited article – he was ignorant to its illegality.”
‘He has never had so much as a parking ticket before’
Mr Burgess also explained that EON had sent letters to his client requesting access to check his meter, but he had binned them believing them to be junk mail.
Sheriff Philip Mann asked what the EON engineers had seen that caused them to get police intervention, Mr Burgess replied: “They saw what they thought was firearms – but it was clear there were no fruits of poison there.
“He has never had so much as a parking ticket before and I do not think he will ever darken the door of a court again.”
Mr Burgess again said his client was seeking an absolute discharge for the offence as he was unclear on how his employment status would be affected by a conviction, adding: “He is potentially working with vulnerable people, and he will have to declare his conviction to his employer.”
Absolute discharge given
Sheriff Mann had deferred sentencing to seek clarification from Aberdeen City Council about how a conviction would affect Farquhar’s employment.
An absolute discharge was given to Farquhar.
According to the Scottish Sentencing Council, absolute discharges are only given out in “exceptional” circumstances.
A sheriff or judge must determine that the “nature of the offence and the character of the offender” means “that it is inexpedient to inflict punishment”.