By Cara Sulieman
A MAN has been jailed over his part in an ongoing family feud after he threatened to pour petrol in the hallway of a relative’s home.
Charles Cassidy, 22, went into the house of Steven Cumming and threw a knife into the hallway before leaving and coming back with an open can of petrol on June 1 this year.
Standing in the hallway of the house in Tranent, East Lothian, he shouted “this is what you are f**king getting” before driving off.
Yesterday Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard that the feud was over money that Cassidy’s mother Yvonne Mackie suspected Steven Cumming has stolen.
Defence agent Colm Dempsey told the court: “His mother is a cousin of Isabella Cumming and the ongoing feud was over money that had been stolen from her property.
“The prime suspect for that was the complainer Steven Cumming.”
The court heard that shortly before Cassidy had gone to Mr Cumming’s home, he had heard about an incident that is alleged to have happened to his mother.
Depute fiscal Alexis Armit said: “There is an ongoing feud between Isabella Cumming and her son and Yvonne Mackie, the mother of the accused.
“There was an alleged incident which occurred before 11 o’clock in the morning on June 1 of this year.
“Steven Cumming went in to the house of the accused’s mother and the allegation was that he was brandishing a sword at her.
“Shortly after 11 o’clock in the morning the accused arrived at the complainer’s house.
“He entered the house picked up a kitchen knife that was on the floor in the property and threw it in to the hallway.
“He was shouting and swearing and making threats.
“He went away briefly and returned with a petrol can in his possession there was petrol in it and the cap was not on the can either.
“At this point the threats to the complainer was ‘this is what you are f**king getting’ and ‘I will be f**king back’.”
Cassidy’s defence agent went on to explain that Cassidy has been contacted by his mother after the alleged incident.
Mr Dempsey said: “It is alleged that Steven Cumming entered the house with a samurai sword and threatened Yvonne Mackie with violence and threatened that she would be raped.
“Distressed by this she found her son the accused Charles Cassidy who returned to the house to speak with his mother.”
After talking to his mother, Cassidy decided to go and speak to Mr Cumming.
Mr Dempsey continued: “When he did arrive there an argument at which time he tells me Mr Cumming presented the samurai sword and came towards him with it.
“This prompted Mr Cassidy to pick up the knife and throw that in to the house while making good his escape.
“Thereafter in an ill conceived decision he returned to the property with the petrol can.
“It is fair to say that he thought better of that having arrived and subsequently left without taking any further action.
“He had no means of lighting such substance when he arrived. “
Passing sentence, Sheriff James Scott said it was lucky that no one had been injured in the incident.
He said: “Going anywhere with an open can of petrol is serious but against the background here it is very fortunate for you that some much more serious or fatal incident didn’t occur.”
Cassidy was sentenced to nine months in jail.
