Elgin meat cleaver robbery invented by 'victim'
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A former drug user has admitted making up a story that he was attacked and robbed in Elgin by four masked men brandishing weapons.
Kevin Henderson contacted the police in the early hours of February 5 last year to claim he'd just been the victim of a robbery near his home on Meadow Crescent.
He stated two of his attackers were carrying knives, while the other two had meat cleavers.
The 40-year-old added that they'd forced him to hand over his wallet which had contained £500.
However CCTV showed that no attack had taken place.
When interviewed the following day, Henderson changed his story.
Instead, he stated that the robbery had happened at a spot near Elgin Cemetery, where he'd gone to buy drugs.
Henderson gave the police the name of a man who, he said, had jumped him along with two accomplices.
Procurator Fiscal Sharon Ralph told Elgin Sheriff Court that officers asked him for his mobile.
They wanted, she explained, to view the messages arranging the meeting with the drug dealer.
Henderson, however, stated he'd misplaced his phone.
The next day CCTV footage was reviewed of the area around the cemetery.
It revealed that no assault had taken place there either.
Henderson was interviewed once more and his mobile was examined.
Any messages relating to drugs had been wiped clean.
However there were texts between Henderson and a family member which seemed to indicate that he was short of money.
Defence solicitor Grant Daglish said: "It's a matter of poor mental health and drug use.
"He's not sure now if he actually dreamt the original assault.
"He's certainly extremely resourceful and isn't sure what he was thinking."
Henderson admitted two charges.
The first related to wasting the police's time between February 5 and 8, 2022.
The second involved being in possession of heroin with a street value of £290 on October 20, 2021.
Asking the court to be lenient, Mr Daglish added that his client had been off drugs since the start of the year.
Henderson was ordered to do 180 hours of unpaid work for the community within the next six months.
He was also placed under the court's supervision for the next 18 months.
