Knife threat over '˜beast'

A woman held a sheathed knife as she threatened tenants who she claimed had let a 'beast' into a block of flats.

Sarah O’Neil (28) told the tenants she would “teach them a lesson” before showing them the knife, which she never removed from the sheath.

O’Neil, 101 Kingseat Avenue, Grangemouth, appeared at Falkirk Sheriff Court last Thursday having pled guilty to behaving in a threatening manner in Kingseat Avenue, Grangemouth on November 7.

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The court heard O’Neil was outside the common close area of the flats at 8am when a resident let her in.

Procurator fiscal depute Samanthan Brown said: “The accused was shouting and swearing saying ‘you have let a beast into the close’. She then said she would teach them a lesson and presented the knife, showing it to them.

“The knife was in a sheath the whole time. She was asked why she had the knife and she said to get her message across. Police were contacted. The knife was recovered – it was 17-and-a-half inches long.”

John Mulholland, defence solicitor, said: “This is a serious matter but I can tell you the witnesses who reported the matter are well known to the courts. There was an ongoing dispute with neighbours who had let someone into the flats.”

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The court heard O’Neil, who has six children who do not live with her, had a troubled background.

Sheriff Derek Livingston placed O’Neil on a supervised community payback order for three years with the condition she complete 270 hours of unpaid work within 12 months.