Locations
Grangemouth, Stirlingshire, Falkirk, FK3
Description
A convicted sex offender subject to a public protection order who walked into a social work office armed with two knives and a pair of scissors is facing jail.
Barry Buchanan, 47, was being supervised by staff at the Brockville social work office in Falkirk following an incident where he offered a group of schoolgirls 250 to give him oral sex and threatened to slit a child's throat.
Falkirk Sheriff Court heard that about 9.00am on March 1st this year, he was met at the door of the social work office by his supervisor, and she let him into the premises, where a number of other social workers were also present.
Prosecutor Kristina Kelly said: "His supervisor engaged in conversation with him, at which point he produced a knife from a carrier bag and said words similar to, 'I've got this to slash somebody if they come near me'."
He was told he should leave the knife at reception, which he did, after changing his story to say he had it "for cutting meat".
His supervisor then took him into an interview room.
During a comfort break, he was heard by other staff members to make reference to "slashing" and other similar phrases.
He then produced a pair of scissors from the same carrier bag, saying, "I've also got these."
A police officer then arrived to join the interview, as Buchanan was under a Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) order which involved a Police Scotland input.
A female social worker went to reception to meet the officer.
Miss Kelly said: "At this point the accused again reached into his carrier bag and produced a Stanley knife."
Buchanan said that if the officer was "uniform" he would "kick off", and again used the word "slash".
When he was assured the officer was "not uniform" he put the Stanley knife in his jacket pocket, then handed it over to the officer.
Appearing by video link from Low Moss Prison, Buchanan, of Grangemouth, Stirlingshire - formerly of Larbert, also Stirlingshire - pleaded guilty to having the knives and scissors in a public place without reasonable excuse.
Solicitor Georgia Carey, defending, said Buchanan had alcohol-induced brain damage and "a tendency to exhibit erratic behaviour".
Miss Carey said: "He knows that taking these objects into the social work office was not a sensible thing to do."
Sheriff Simon Collins QC deferred sentence until June 24th for background reports, and continued Buchanan's remand.
He said custody was "the most likely route".
He said: "On the face of it, it's very serious - he's taken three bladed weapons into a social work office.
"But it's an odd situation because he plainly surrenders them without difficulty once he's challenged about it."
Last year (2021) Buchanan was placed under social work supervision for a year, on the sex offenders' register for five years, and compelled to wear an electronic tag after the incident with the schoolgirls - over which he admitted breach of the peace and indecent exposure.
He approached the girls, aged 13, 14, and 15, as they sat chatting on benches in Stenhousemuir, Stirlingshire in the early evening of June 25th 2021 and was seen to "rub white powder on his gums" before launching into a stream of sexualised remarks.
He told a terrified 15 year old in the group, "I'll slit your neck, you s***."
He then approached a second group of children, aged 12, 13, and 14, threatened to slit another girl's throat, and then pulled down his trousers.
He walked off when one of the children's parents arrived on the scene.