A TEENAGER was remanded in custody after a Sheriff deemed him a potential danger to the public when it was revealed he intimidated two men with a kitchen knife.
David Colley, 16, appeared from prison in Edinburgh, for threatening shopkeeper Mohammed Shariff with a six-inch long knife in the Leith Walk Store, when he “challenged” him for acting suspiciously.
And on the same day he brandished the knife at the doorway of another man’s house.
Fiscal depute Gerard Drugen said: “Mr Shariff thought the teenager was acting suspiciously in his shop and challenged him in a non-threatening manner.
“Mr Colley started to leave the shop and turned round in the doorway, facing Mr Shariff, and presented a knife at him.
“He said ‘come outside and I’ll sort you out’.
“The knife has been described as a six inch long kitchen knife with a black handle.
“On the same day, Yassar Albassam had left his car with its hazard lights on parked outside his property on Gloucester Lane while he went inside to fill his water bottle.
“He had left his hazard warning lights on and the window was down, but all the doors were secured.
“Soon after going inside his flat a young man came to his door to tell him his window was still open.
“He replied something along the lines of ‘thanks, I’ll be back in a minute’ and closed his door.
“Mr Albassam noticed the young man was still standing outside on the stairs and he opened the door to ask if he had a problem.
“The accused replied ‘no, do you have a problem?’
“Mr Albassam came out and made to go back downstairs, but the accused reportedly said, ‘we can do this the easy way or the hard way’, and pulled a knife out of his hooded jacket pocket.”
Colley pled guilty to two separate charges, both of which occurred on 30 August 2010.
In the first he admitted threatening Mr Shariff with a knife and in the second he admitted producing a knife in the presence of Mr Albassam, with the intent to rob him.
Defence solicitor Fiona Cooper said: “Mr Colley committed these offences while on bail for another matter and has been in custody since 27 September.
“He has told me his time in custody at Polmont has been particularly difficult.
“He has only recently turned 16, and at the time he had a college place at Stevenson College to do a mechanics course.
“He tells this place is still available to him to start at some point in January.
“In view of sentencing I would ask that his young age and the amount of time he has spent in custody already be considered.
Sheriff James Scott deferred sentencing until 25 January and said Colley was a “danger to the public”.
He said: “I will defer sentence until later this month to obtain a social inquiry report and a community service report.
“Because of the potential danger to the public you will be remanded in custody until then.”
