A young Coatbridge dad who was jailed for a bleach attack is behind bars again for threatening a man with a knife.
Martin McKenzie produced a blade after being told to pick up a discarded wine bottle.
He and his drinking pals had been asked to move away from a block of flats where they’d gathered.
McKenzie, 24, of Viewfield Road, was jailed for a year at Airdrie Sheriff Court this week.
He admitted threatening or abusive behaviour and carrying a knife in Ash Road, Cumbernauld, on May 13, 2023, while on bail.
Kevin Morrow, prosecuting, said a woman was in her top floor flat shortly before 6pm.
She saw McKenzie, another man and three females outside and they appeared to be intoxicated.
Mr Morrow told the court: “The woman saw a member of the group had thrown a Buckfast bottle to the ground.
“She opened her window and challenged the group, asking them to pick up the bottle and telling them, ‘this is not your street’.
“She then went downstairs to ask them to leave the area at which point McKenzie put a balaclava over his head.
“The woman knocked on the door of a neighbour, a man, who came outside.
“At this point McKenzie drew a knife and brandished it towards the man, saying, ‘I’ll f*****g stab you’.
“Fortunately, he didn’t make contact with anyone and was encouraged by others in his group to leave.
“He was arrested by police at a wooded area a short time later.”
Defence lawyer Simon Gilmour said McKenzie was intoxicated at the time of the incident and could offer no excuse for his behaviour.
He was freed from prison in November 2024 fter serving a 16-month sentence for throwing bleach over a man at a house in Coatbridge.
Mr Gilmour told the court: “He has mental health issues and is keen to avoid a return to the prison environment.
“He missed seeing his son when he was in custody last year.
“He is currently engaging with a social work supervision order imposed earlier in 2024 and I understand there has been no offending since his release from prison.”
However, Sheriff Tony McGlennan said, taking into account McKenzie’s significant record and the gravity of the latest offence, he had to impose another jail sentence.
*Don’t miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.
And did you know Lanarkshire Live had its own app? Download yours for free here.