Man loses chair leg after carrying it as ‘offensive weapon’

A man has been left with a three-legged chair after carrying one of its legs with him as a weapon.

Christopher Smith was forced to forfeit the chair leg at Lerwick Sheriff Court on Wednesday.

Forfeiting the furniture, Sheriff Ian Cruickshank said: “This leaves Mr Smith with a three-legged chair.”

The 43-year-old pleaded guilty to having the “offensive weapon” with him on Commercial Road on 31st May without a reasonable excuse.

Smith, of St Olaf Street, Lerwick, was also sentenced for possession of class A drugs related to a separate incident last year.

Police were called on 31st May by a concerned member of the public who had witnessed aggressive behaviour between Smith and another man, according to procurator fiscal Duncan MacKenzie.

After arriving police found Smith, who Mr MacKenzie said was “clearly under the influence of something”, walking nearby and stopped and spoke to him – Smith then produced the chair leg from inside his jacket.

Mr MacKenzie said Smith had fully cooperated with the police.

Defence agent Tommy Allan said it was clear Smith was “intoxicated” at the time and also clear that Smith had “come out second best in the altercation”.

His client had “no reasonable explanation for why he was where he was with the chair leg concealed under his jacket”, according to Mr Allan.

The chair leg belonged to Smith, said Mr Allan, and was part of a chair lying at the side of his flat.

“At the time this happened things were out of control for him,” said Mr Allan, adding that things were currently “much better” for Smith.

Mr Allan said “hopefully this spate of offending” and drug misuse was coming to an end.

Sheriff Cruickshank imposed a community payback order on Smith, who will have to carry out 70 hours of unpaid work for the offence.

Smith was also fined £100 for heroin possession after having his sentence deferred on a separate drugs matter, pleading guilty to having the class A drug on North Road, Lerwick on 2nd October 2019.