An Aberdeen mum and daughter were awoken in the middle of the night to the terrifying sight of a knife-wielding intruder at their bedroom door.
Jeff Binnie, 26, had forced open a kitchen window to gain access to a ground floor flat on Provost Rust Drive, and woke up the sleeping family when he turned on their bedroom light.
Their petrified screams woke the girl’s father who came to the rescue and managed to usher the knifeman into the porch area and lock the door until police arrived.
It later emerged Binnie, in a confused drink and drug-addled state, had believed he was in someone’s house that he knew, and had even taken off his shoes and jacket before he was discovered and locked in the porch.
Depute fiscal Anna Chisholm told Aberdeen Sheriff Court: “At 3am the woman was woken by the bedroom light being turned on and saw the accused at the bedroom door. She shouted for help which woke her daughter up.
“The man woke after hearing his wife and daughter screaming.
“The accused presented a knife at the man and woman, although he did not see the knife.”
Ms Chisholm said he “managed to usher the accused into the porch area and locked him in there”.
When officers arrived, Binnie shouted and swore and pointed the knife at them through the glass.
He eventually threw the knife out of the porch window but went on to struggle with officers and spat at one.
Binnie also had a screwdriver and spanner.
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Binnie, described in court papers as a prisoner of HMP Grampian, pled guilty to housebreaking with intent to steal, possession of a knife and behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by brandishing the knife at the flat’s occupants.
He also admitted a further charge of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by shouting, swearing, struggling with police, flailing his arms and pointing a knife at officers as well as spitting at one of them.
He was jailed yesterday.
Defence lawyer Mike Monro said: “To say he was in a mess mentally would be an understatement.
“He’d obviously been taking a whole mixture of illegal substances and alcohol as well.”
Mr Monro said when he asked his client why he was there with the items, he said: “I really can’t tell you.”
The solicitor added: “He thought he was actually in the property of someone he knew. He then took off his outer clothing and jacket and took off his shoes as if he was just settling down.”
Mr Monro said Binnie was “apologetic” to the family over the incident.
He said after being discovered inside the property, Binnie was “ushered without any kind of physical difficulty from the hallway to the porch.
“The owner of the property then locks the door from the flat leading to the porch.
“The accused is then prisoner in this porch and has no means of escape.”
Sheriff Philip Mann told Binnie: “These are serious charges, particularly breaking into a house and brandishing a knife at the occupants has to be taken extremely seriously by the courts.”
He ordered him to be jailed for 30 months.
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