A DUNBAR man who was found sitting outside the town's police station with three knives has been admonished at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.

Jason Stewart had armed himself with the blades after he claimed his family had received threats to their safety.

He made his way to the police station in Dunbar High Street where he called the 101 non-emergency number to inform the authorities of the threats.

But when police officers arrived at the station on April 12, last year, they immediately spotted Stewart sitting in a doorway with the three knives out in front of him.

The 28-year-old had previously pleaded guilty to three charges when he appeared at the court in February this year and sentence had been deferred for his good behaviour.

Previously, fiscal depute Ann MacNeill told the court that Stewart called the non-emergency line at about 2.40am on April 12 last year.

Ms MacNeill said: “Accused phoned 101 and told the call handler he was outside Dunbar Police Station and had received threats. He had a number of knives at his feet.

“Officers attended at the scene and they saw the accused with three knives at his feet. He was agitated and had been drinking – the officers then took hold of him.”

The fiscal added that Stewart then began struggling with police and shouted: “I wanted help and you ****ing lift me.”

Defence solicitor Jonathan Campbell had said his client had a “long-standing alcohol problem” and was currently attending the Ritzen Clinic for treatment.

Mr Campbell told the court that Stewart had received calls from an unknown source threatening to “kill and rape his parents” and had taken the knives for protection.

On Monday, the court heard Stewart, Lammermuir Crescent, had kept out of trouble for the past 18 months and Sheriff Frank Crowe had seen the reportswhich had been "very encouraging".

Sheriff Crowe said Stewart's health was looking "an awful lot better" than the last time he had seen him and decided to admonish him on all three charges after commenting on how well Stewart had done to address his alcohol problem.

Stewart admitted possessing three kitchen knives on April 12, 2015.

He also pleaded guilty to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by shouting, swearing and threatening police inside a police van on the same date, and to failing to appear for a hearing at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on December 22 last year.