A self-styled influencer sparked an armed police response by taking a realistic-looking replica gun to a prison to film a video for TikTok.
Former Scottish Youth Parliament hopeful Kenzie Goddard was spotted with the fake Glock sticking out of the waistband of his trousers near Perth Prison. Perth Sheriff Court was told that Goddard had a “bizarre fascination with police and prison services” and was intercepted by eagle-eyed passing police officers.
The court heard that Goddard had also been filming outside the court building after a previous appearance in order to gain likes on the social media platform. Goddard, whose online profile picture shows him at an event with Katie Hopkins, was accompanied to court by self-styled TikTok “lawyer” Leigh aka Lee Sutherland.
Shortly after his appearance on Wednesday, further TikTok videos of Sutherland at the court and procurator fiscal buildings were posted online. Goddard, 18, from Abernethy, admitted having an imitation firearm – namely a BB gun – near Perth Prison on March 14, 2024.
Fiscal depute Bill Kermode said: “He appears to have a bizarre fascination with the police and prison service. This was near the prison. Police were in a car on another matter. He appeared to be talking to someone on a mobile phone. As he walked past the car, the police could see the black handle of a handgun protruding from the rear pocket of his trousers.
“Police were alarmed by that. They quickly traced and secured him in handcuffs. Armed police had been placed on alert. It was an imitation Glock 19 handgun.”
Solicitor Linda Clark, defending, told the court: “It smacks of gross immaturity, rather than wicked behaviour. He was making TikTok videos and posting them and one of them was with this BB gun. Quite why he thought it appropriate to take videos with it on the outskirts of the town centre is beyond belief, but he made that ill-advised decision.
“A structured deferred sentence would give him guidance on making better life choices, about who it is appropriate to associate with and how to guide himself in posting TikTok videos. He will not be that different from many people of his age. He has not covered himself in glory. It is about how we stop him coming back to court and educate him into realising his conduct was not acceptable.”
Sheriff Krista Johnston said: “He is perfectly aware of the power of social media and, instead of using it responsibly, he is using it entirely irresponsibly, and that could have significant adverse effects on lots of people his age.
“He needs to learn to take these matters seriously. I am very concerned the [social work] report seems to suggest you have some kind of flippant attitude towards these kinds of matters. In coming to court you seem to enjoy courting some kind of social media attention and you have used it indirectly for concerning means. In a way that is very concerning to me.”
The sheriff, who was referring to videos made outside court with Sutherland, placed Goddard on a structured deferred sentence until March 5 next year.
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