Granny jailed after threatening violence while demanding drugs

A 37-year-old grandmother who threatened to “break” her friend if she did not bring her drugs has been jailed for a year.

Sarah Irvine, of Hill Grind, Lerwick, had been out of jail less than a month when she left the menacing voicemail on the complainer’s phone.

Irvine appeared before Lerwick Sheriff Court today (Wednesday) when she admitted sending the message and threatening police officers at the Gilbert Bain Hospital.

Procurator fiscal Duncan MacKenzie said Irvine sent the voicemail to a “long term associate” whose relationship had “ups and downs”.

He said the message, which was sent on Saturday, told the woman she had “two hours to get the drugs or she would break her”.

The recipient took the message as a threat and contacted police who agreed, the court heard.

At the time the call went out for her arrest, Mr MacKenzie said Irvine was in hospital “for legitimate reasons” with two police officers.

When the officers tried to arrest Irvine, the fiscal said she “did not take it well”.

He said she started shouting and swearing and it took “some time” before she calmed down.

Defence agent Tommy Allan said his client had been released from prison on 10th July and had found it “extremely difficult” returning to Shetland.

He said she had received messages “of a similar nature” to the one she sent the complainer, but accepted “two wrongs don’t make a right”.

Mr Allan said Irvine was already upset about being in the hospital as she was concerned her daughter may have been there and thought she had heard her grandson crying.

The defence agent said she had been struggling to reintegrate and “face life on the outside”.

Sheriff Ian Cruickshank noted Irvine still had eight months left of her sentence when she committed the new offences.

He ordered Irvine serve seven months of the unexpired portion of the previous sentence, followed by a further five months, totalling a year.