A drunk Midlothian man left revellers terrified when he wielded a circular saw during an argument next to a nightclub.
Joshua Tidswell powered up the saw and brandished it before being tackled by door staff from the Edinburgh venue.
The 28-year-old construction worker had been out boozing with a pal after work and had his tools with him, reports the Record.
But after some of the tools went missing, Tidswell “took offence” to a man’s comment about the saw as he searched for a taxi.
Tidswell appeared at the city’s sheriff court on Wednesday after previously admitting behaving in a threatening or abusive manner.
He accepted shouting, swearing, uttering threats of violence, and brandishing the saw. Tidswell also pled guilty to having a bladed article in a public place.
His not guilty plea to assaulting an unknown man by attempting to strike him on the head with the saw while it was operational was accepted by the Crown.
Fiscal depute Bruce McCrossan said door staff at the Cabaret Voltaire nightclub on Blair Street in the city’s Old Town heard an argument outside at around 2.10am.
Mr McCrossan said the bouncers noticed Tidswell in an “agitated” state and holding the saw as he argued with a man.
He added: “During this argument, the accused powered up and switched on the circular saw while continuing to argue with the male.
“The saw was spinning. The witnesses watched as he brandished this saw.”
The prosecutor said onlookers approached Tidswell and managed to restrain him before police were called.
Defence agent Kevin Connor said his client had “no intention of walking around the streets of Edinburgh with a circular saw”.
Mr Connor said Tidswell had been working that day in Pitlochry, Perthshire, and was on his way home when he met up with a friend and decided to go for a drink.
The solicitor said Tidswell, of Gorebridge, Midlothian, had been in possession of his work tools but later realised he didn’t have them with the exception of the saw.
Tidswell was under a “fairly extensive amount of intoxication”, he said, and was walking on the street to get a taxi home.
Mr Connor added “someone made a comment about the saw and Mr Tidswell took offence” before acting in the “extremely reckless manner”.
The court was told Tidswell accepted he powered up the saw, which was trigger operated and had a blade guard attached. Mr Connor acknowledged it would have been a “very, very frightening incident” for passersby to witness.
He said: “It was clearly fortunate that nothing further happened. The security guards on duty took prompt action to take the item from him.”
Tidswell’s behaviour could be “unpredictable” when drinking, his lawyer said, but he only consumed alcohol now and again. The incident took place on June 11 last year.
Sheriff Ian Anderson told Tidswell: “This must have been a very frightening experience for people in the street.”
But the sheriff said he was taking into account Tidswell’s limited record and the fact a not guilty plea had been accepted to the charge of attempting to use the saw in an assault.
Tidswell was given 180 hours of unpaid work and placed on supervision for a year.
Source – Edinburgh Live
