Man brandished knife at Rosyth garage

Derek Bryce, 32, now a prisoner at Edinburgh, had been released from jail just a month before his latest offence.

Bryce appeared in the dock at Dunfermline Sheriff Court. He admitted that on April 20, at the Gulf Garage, Primrose Lane, Rosyth, he brandished a knife and walked towards members of the public carrying the knife.

He also admitted a second charge of being illegally in possession of the knife in Primrose Lane.

Depute fiscal Azrah Yousaf said at 2.30am, a female employee saw an incident begin on the garage forecourt.

Bryce and a female arrived in a car and he got out of the passenger side then started to put fuel in the vehicle.

There was then an argument between Bryce and a passing group of two males and a female.

Bryce began to stare at the group and one of them said: “What are you looking at?”

Bryce then took several steps towards them carrying a knife in his right hand.

As the disturbance continued, Bryce told the group: “I’ve got a knife.”

One of the group said: “If you’re going to use it, use it.”

The group later flagged down a passing police car and reported the incident.

When the car was stopped, the black-handled kitchen knife was found in the boot.

Defence solicitor James Moncrieff said his client was in the process of moving into a scatter-flat in Kirkcaldy at the time.

“He had a large amount of kitchen items in the boot containing the kitchen knife. This group were not known to them.

“One of them had kicked the vehicle. There was a bit of back and forth and he picked up the knife and briefly advanced on the group.

“He only had the knife in his hand for eight seconds in the CCTV (footage). He was then pursued around the petrol station. The males were being very aggressive.”

Sheriff Charles MacNair told Bryce: “You have a bad record for weapon offences. The carrying of knives in public is not to be tolerated and the sooner people realise that, the better.”

He jailed Bryce and nine-and-a-half months.