INVERNESS SHERIFF COURT: Knifeman was sprayed twice before police overpowered him
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Police had to use their incapacitant spray twice on a man, who had been drinking, carrying a knife near an Inverness primary school.
Ariel Blaszczykawski had refused to drop the weapon after concerned members of the public called in police to tackle the 39-year-old on a woodland footpath between Raigmore Hospital and the local primary school.
Inverness Sheriff Court was told that the first deployment of the PAVA spray had no effect on Blaszczykawski, who also withstood a baton strike to his arm.
However, Sheriff Eilidh Macdonald heard that a second PAVA spray did the trick and Blaszczykawski dropped the knife before falling to the ground on July 20.
Officers were then able to overpower him, handcuff and arrest the knifeman who made threats to kill the constables, fiscal depute Shamiela Ghafar said.
She added that on the day before, Blaszczykawski had been taken to accident and emergency at the hospital after being found slumped outside the primary school.
Ms Ghafar said he drifted in and out of consciousness and was being treated by two consultants when he stood up, gathered his belongings and left the ward.
"He pulled out his drip causing his arm to bleed. He was found by the two consultants lying on the grass outside, woke up and swore at one of them," the prosecutor told the court.
She went on: "He was able to get to his feet supported by one of them, began struggling and struck one of them on the arm."
When arrested by police, he kicked out at officers, striking one on the body.
Blaszczykawski, of King Duncan's Road, Inverness admitted assaulting emergency workers, police and threatening behaviour.
He was in trouble with the law again on August 17 after stealing a bottle of wine in Tesco Inshes and drinking it in the toilet.
He was later found lying on the road, police were called and he told the officers he was going to kill his ex-partner.
Blaszczykawski also pleaded guilty to charges of threatening behaviour and shoplifting.
Defence solicitor Laura-Jane McFarlane said her client had been struggling with his mental health and he had the knife for self-harm.
Placing him under four months of social work supervision where he must get alcohol treatment, Sheriff Macdonald told him: "You caused fear and alarm to people and assaulted those who were trying to help you. But I am prepared to give you one chance so you can get treatment which will stop you behaving in this way again. If you do repeat this behaviour, you are likely to get a prison sentence."
Blaszczykawski will return for sentencing on December 19.
