A violent thug who robbed a man at knifepoint and threatened to throw his ex-partner out of a window has been jailed.
Rhyan Potts, 23, pulled a knife on his victim, who had given him and a female pal tobacco and money to buy food on Holburn Street.
Potts also turned on his ex-partner, terrorising her over the course of three days, punching, biting and holding her out a window.
Potts, of Gort Road, Aberdeen, previously pled guilty to assault to injury and robbery of a rucksack and its contents, as well as engaging in a course of behaviour that was abusive of his ex-partner.
He also admitted breaching a non-harassment order in relation to his ex and a separate shoplifting charge.
Yesterday Sheriff Andrew Miller said “only a significant sentence of imprisonment would represent an adequate response from the court” before locking Potts up for a total of 14 months.
Depute fiscal Callum Thomson told Aberdeen Sheriff Court a man walking home at around 1am on October 28 had bumped into Potts and a female who said she was “hungry and hadn’t eaten all day”.
Potts then asked for tobacco and the man obliged and decided he would go home to get money to give them.
He returned and gave them £7 in coins when the woman made a comment about Potts having planned to rob him. Mr Thomson said: “He asked if the accused really planned to rob him and at that point the accused punched him to the left side of his face, causing his glasses to break.”
The man then realised Potts had hold of his rucksack and they struggled over it. Mr Thomson said: “At that point he saw the accused produce a knife around six inches long and two inches wide.
“The man was extremely frightened that he would be stabbed and ran towards the Garthdee area.”
The man, who was left with swelling and a small cut, later returned home and contacted police.
And between June 5 and 7, Potts terrorised his ex-partner, twice climbing in her kitchen window on Gardner Drive in Aberdeen and refusing to leave when asked.
Potts also grabbed her by the jaw and “made threats to kill her”.
When she tried to use her mobile to call police Mr Thomson said Potts “threw it on the ground causing it to stop working”.
The “hysterical and crying” woman also begged a neighbour to take her son during Potts’ tirade.
She also tried to shout for help from a first floor bedroom window.
Mr Thomson said: “At this time the complainer felt the accused grab her from behind and hold her by the hair and heard him threaten to throw her while holding her by the chest and hair, which at that point were hanging from the open window.”
When he let her go she ran to the living room and was chased by Potts who “punched her twice to the face” and bit her on the back, leaving a bruise.
Defence agent David Sutherland said his client had been using drugs at the time, adding: “He doesn’t consume them every day but accepts that when he does things go awry.”
He said: “He’s now seen the error of his ways.”
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