Woman jailed over stab threats in Lerwick

A woman has been sentenced to six months in prison after threatening to stab her former partner.

Claire Marie Antonio, 24, whose address was given as Grampian Prison, carried a four-inch blade to the man’s home after phoning psychiatric services, and telling staff she intended to go there and retrieve belongings.

Antonio had said that if he had a problem with that she would “just stab him”.

She went to the house at Hoofields, Lerwick, and demanded entry, before threatening to smash a window.

When police attended she threw away the knife, but it was later found by officers.

Antonio pleaded guilty to two charges when she appeared in the dock at Lerwick Sheriff Court on Wednesday.

She admitted possession of a knife and behaving in a threatening or abusive manner. Both charges were said to have been aggravated by abuse of her ex.

Procurator fiscal Duncan MacKenzie told the court Antonio arrived at her former partner’s address and knocked on the door. But the complainer saw who was there and spoke to her through the window.

“He threatened to phone the police and she left, but was back in 10 minutes repeating her demands.”

Defence agent Tommy Allan said there was no opposition to a Crown motion for forfeiture of the knife.

He said her telephone call was “in some ways a cry for help” and described Antonio as “articulate and intelligent” when she has not been drinking.

Antonio had been in custody since 4th March, and Mr Allan urged the sheriff to take that into account.

Sheriff Ian Cruickshank took the time to read a letter written by Antonio.

The accused had previously been placed on an 18-month supervision order and ordered to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work.

Mr Allan told Wednesday’s court hearing that the community payback order “hadn’t really got off the ground”.

Sheriff Cruickshank made the unusual request for a verbal social work report later in the day, which would provide an update on how a supervised release order might be achieved.

Later, the court heard Antonio had indicated she would comply with such an order.

The sheriff told Antonio: “Given the nature of the offences, and given your schedule of previous convictions, I have no alternative but to impose a custodial sentence.”

He sentenced her to six months backdated to March, and also imposed a three-month supervised release order.

He allowed the community payback order imposed during Antonio’s previous case to continue, granting her six months to finish the unpaid work.