A COUNTY man has been jailed after he made threats towards two workmen while brandishing a knife at them.

Lee Rutherford aggressively approached the two tradesmen, who were working at a building site at Market Street in Haddington, at about 9.15am on July 20.

Rutherford started shouting and making threats to the men, including stating he would “take a dagger” to them.

One of the men shouted back, resulting in Rutherford pulling out a black-handled knife with a four-inch blade and waving it at the pair.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court was told that 31-year-old Rutherford, c/o HMP Edinburgh, was then joined by a male and female and the trio made their way towards the town’s Tesco supermarket.

Fiscal depute Matthew Millar said that police were notified of the knife incident and officers found Rutherford sitting on a bench at the supermarket car park later that morning.

He was searched but no knife was found but the court heard officers conducted a search of the area and the blade was eventually discovered near to the bench he had been sitting on.

'Smash your face in'

The court was told that police believed Rutherford had taken “a quantity of drugs” and he was taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh for treatment, where he proceeded to become unruly and aggressive.

Mr Millar said that an on-duty doctor attempted to examine and calm Rutherford down but was told by him to “**** off” and that he would “smash your face in”.

He was examined and subsequently deemed fit and was taken into police custody, where he was cautioned and charged with various offences.

Rutherford appeared at the Capital court from custody last Thursday, where he pleaded guilty to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner and brandishing a knife, repeatedly shouting and swearing and uttering threats of violence at Market Street, Haddington, on July 20.

He also admitted to possessing a knife at Tesco in Haddington and to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by shouting, swearing, struggling with police and uttering threats of violence towards medical staff at the hospital, all on the same date.

'Pro-social'

Rutherford’s lawyer told the court that the father-of-one was a regular user of Valium and alcohol when he was at liberty and was caught up in “cyclical behaviour” of using drugs and offending.

The solicitor said that Rutherford was now involved with a peer mentoring service while in prison in an attempt to make him more “pro-social” when he got out and that he had an address in Musselburgh available to him.

She asked the court to defer sentence for an assessment and for him to carry on engaging with the prison service.

Sheriff Daniel Kelly said: “It is to your credit that since you’ve been remanded you have become involved in that peer mentoring system and I am pleased there seems to have been an improvement.

“However, these are serious offences involving a knife and involving the emergency department at the Royal Infirmary.”

Sheriff Kelly sentenced Rutherford to a total prison sentence of 20 months, which will be backdated to July 21, when he was remanded in custody.