A MAN who got out of bed in the middle of the night to fetch a glass of milk ended up topless in his back garden while wielding two knives.

A sheriff said it was one of the "strangest" cases she had dealt with as she sentenced William Patrick at Glasgow Sheriff Court this week.  

The court was told that around 1am on September 10, 2021, Patrick's neighbour looked out of her window to see a man in the back garden.

He was wearing light coloured shorts, had no top on and was holding two large kitchen type knives, one in each hand. 

The woman lives alone and was fearful, the court heard, so she went upstairs and told her neighbours who looked out their window and also saw Patrick. 

They were alarmed and so contacted the police. 

Patrick was then seen to walk back along Airlie Road towards Old Wood Road, in Baillieston. 

The 38-year-old then went out of sight of the witnesses. 

Four police officers attended at 1.10am and immediately conducted a search of the area. 

While carrying out the search police became aware of a male in the rear garden of an address close to where Patrick had last been seen. 

Once visible, the male matched the description officers had been given but was not holding any knives. 

The back door of his address was open and police could see two large kitchen knives with seven-inch blades were visible on the counter with plastic blade covers also visible. 

His defence brief said Patrick had seen "pairs of eyes" staring in the window at him and, knowing there had been thefts in the area, he ran out. 

The solicitor said: “From his dress he would clearly be someone who was disturbed from bed and got back up. 

“He was in the kitchen and turned around and saw sets of eyes staring in the window and assumed they were trying to steal something. 

“This was poor decision-making and he acted impulsively. 

“He got up for a glass of milk from his bed. 

“They were kitchen knives and clearly he had been in the kitchen. 

“Knives are never the solution to anything. Knives can only bring misery and he’s certainly glad that nothing did occur.”

The lawyer added that Patrick, from Ballieston, has no record for violence or knives, only road traffic offences. 

Sheriff Partrica Pryce said: “This is one of the strangest cases I have dealt with. 

“A bit of work needs to be done on how you deal with solutions to problems. 

“Most reasonable people in that situation would have gone to the police.” 

Patrick was placed on a community payback order for six months and tagged for 120 days, keeping him at home between 8pm and 7am.