Man threatened to stab passengers at Inverness railway station
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
A member of rail staff in Inverness locked herself in an office when she saw a man brandishing a knife on the station concourse.
Inverness Sheriff Court heard Lewis Hewat had held the knife close to the woman’s chest when she approached him.
After locking herself in the office the woman called the police.
Fiscal Roderick Urquhart said Hewat, a 41-year-old construction worker from Mackintosh Road, Inverness, had been at the city centre station on May 7 making threats to stab people.
He then fell over and dropped the knife he was holding before picking it up again and making off and getting into a taxi.
Mr Urquhart told Sheriff David Sutherland that witnesses noted the taxi number and when police stopped it Hewat was found with the knife concealed in a sleeve.
Hewat admitted behaving in a threatening and abusive manner, shouting and swearing and threatening to stab people.
He also pleaded guilty to being in possession of a knife in a public place without a reasonable excuse.
Defence solicitor Graham Bryson said Hewat’s record of previous offending did him no credit.
However he also pointed out that his client’s last custodial sentence was served in 2014.
“He has little memory of this incident,” he told the court.
“There had been a family break-up and he went on the drink – a three day binge.
“He doesn’t know why he did it.
“It is not his normal behaviour to distress people.”
Sheriff Sutherland deferred sentence for reports until November 7.
