Published: Tuesday, 22nd July, 2008 10:10
Drunk youth in weapon rap
By Court Reporter
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A DRUNK youth was caught walking along a cycle path in broad daylight with an axe in his hand.
Jordan Sharpe, 17, claims not to remember carrying the weapon because he was so drunk when cops arrived at the scene just before tea-time.
Worried members of the public had alerted the officers to the youth, who were subsequently forced to call for paramedics to help intoxicated Sharpe, Dumbarton Sheriff Court heard on Thursday.
Malcolm McLeod, fiscal depute, told the court: “At 5.45pm the police received information that the accused was walking along the cycle path with this item and when they arrived saw the accused holding it in his right hand.
“He was being followed by a member of the public.
“Police witnesses told the accused to drop the item, which he did.
“He was under the influence of drink at the time of caution and charge and was not formally cautioned and charged at the time due to his state.”
The teenager — who is a first-time offender — was caught in possession of the weapon on June 19 at the path near to Greenhead Road, Dumbarton.
Sharpe’s lawyer, Scott Adair, told the court: “The police were concerned enough to get a paramedic to come to see Mr Sharpe before he went to Clydebank police office and he does not remember seeing the paramedic, which shows how much alcohol he had taken.
“It’s a completely stupid act to pick up this axe and play around with it.”
When sentencing Sharpe, Sheriff David Hall said the accused is lucky to escape with an alternative to custody.
He said: “This is an extremely serious matter and the courts in the west of Scotland regularly sentence first offenders to custody for being in the possession of articles like you were caught with.”
Having pled guilty to the offence at the earliest opportunity Sharpe, of 57 Highmans Avenue, Dumbarton, was ordered to complete 200 hours of community service.
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