Violent offender jailed for sheriff death threats

A man has been ordered to serve more than three years in prison for threatening to "hunt down and kill" the sheriff who had just sentenced him on charges of domestic violence.

Thomas Russell had shouted threats against Sheriff Nikola Stewart in Lanark Sheriff Court, after being sentenced by her for assault to injury, claiming he would find her and kill her. His aggressive rant continued after he was sent to the cells, including a shouted threat to get a shotgun and blow her head off.

Appearing at Airdrie Sheriff Court yesterday, Russell was told by Sheriff Richard Clark that he had an appalling record for violence, including assault to severe injury and impairment of life and numerous assaults to injury.

The sheriff said that such an outburst would be highly reprehensible in any circumstances, but it was "far more serious" that he had directly threatened the sheriff who had just sentenced him. The proper starting point for sentence was four years, which would be reduced to three years and two months in view of Russell's early guilty plea, and backdated to February.