Knife man jailed for a year

A man who was arrested in a shop and was found to have a knife on him was imprisoned for a year at Lerwick Sheriff Court on Wednesday.

George Anthony Hogg, 33, a prisoner at Grampian Prison, appeared in handcuffs. The court heard that Hogg had been behaving suspiciously in a shop on Commercial Street on 17th February, with staff under the impression he was about to steal something. An off-duty police officer approached him and noticed a knife in his belt, so called for back-up.

When arrested, Hogg, who had previous convictions, was found to have a six-and-a-half inch lock-blade knife in his possession. It was also apparent he had taken some legal highs.

Tommy Allan, defending, said that Hogg “struggles with substance abuse” and was no stranger to taking legal or illegal highs. He had “no understanding of what took place that day” and “did not know what was going on when he committed those offences.”

It had taken him two days in remand to come to his senses. Later he appreciated that he had frightened people in the shop and could not explain the knife.

A rich person who struggled with drugs, said Mr Allan, went to The Priory, but Hogg “gets a year in custody”.

Sheriff Philip Mann said that the carrying of knives was a “serious offence” and this was not the first time Hogg had been found in possession of a knife. He imprisoned Hogg for one year back dated to 18th February.