A man barred from all Ministry of Defence buildings after embarking on a “bizarre” quest to join the Army has launched an effort to have the sanction against him overturned.
John Petersen is so obsessed with becoming a soldier that he visited Kinloss Barracks nearly 500 times in the space of 10 weeks to offer to sign up.
When he appeared at Elgin Sheriff Court last September, he was ordered to stay away from any MoD property over the following 12 months.
But Petersen, of 12 Seaview Caravan Park, Kinloss, remains undeterred in his military ambitions.
Yesterday, he returned to the court to appeal for those restrictions to be lifted.
Petersen argued that he should only be barred from approaching the Kinloss base, which would allow him to visit Ministry of Defence career centres and other barracks.
The 49-year-old passed Sheriff Chris Dickson a handwritten letter explaining his eagerness to join the reserve force before he turned 50 and exceeded the maximum age limit.
Representing Petersen, solicitor Robert Cruickshank said: “The timing has been well thought out, as my client is coming to the end of the age limit in October – one month after that bail condition is to come to an end.
“His crimes all centred around Kinloss Barracks, and banning him from all MoD premises precludes him from visiting recruiting offices.
“I appreciate that my client’s application to join the forces may not be well founded.
“But he’s asking that the bail condition be varied to focus solely on Kinloss Barracks, where all the real mischief occurred.”
Sheriff Dickson speculated that the outcome of further psychological examinations may prevent Petersen from joining the Army, and refused to vary the conditions of his bail.
When Petersen appeared before the court last year, fiscal Alison Wylie detailed his determined efforts to enlist.
She said: “On some occasions, he had literally been sent away and returned within minutes. His behaviour over the 10-week period was completely bizarre.”
The court heard that his “strange behaviour” had caused Military Provost Guard Service staff “alarm” and “concern for their safety and safety of the military establishment”.
An MoD spokeswoman declined to comment on Petersen’s antics.