A 20-YEAR-OLD man who brandished an imitation sub-machine gun during a disturbance in the Borders has been locked up for eight months.

Dylan Wyllie, who gave an address in Merseyside, was told he had caused "considerable concern" and people would not have known the firearm he was waving around was an imitation.

Jedburgh Sheriff Court heard that during the early hours of May 3, residents in Hawick's Howegate area heard two arguments involving Wyllie and two other people.

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At around 1.20am he was heard shouting "I will shoot you up" as he kicked wheelie bins and threatened a motorist sitting in a vehicle.

Wyllie was then seen to produce what seemed like a black hand gun from his waistband and began waving it around telling the motorist: "I will shoot you."

Police were called and Wyllie was arrested.

The weapon was found to be a gas-powered airsoft gun, modelled on a sub-machine gun, which discharges 6mm plastic ball bearings. It was found not to be in working order.

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Wyllie of Alder Close, Prescot, Merseyside, pleaded guilty to charges of threatening or abusive behaviour and having the imitation firearm in his possession and causing people to believe unlawful violence would be used against the lieges.

Sheriff Daniel Kelly said: "This would have caused considerable concern as people would not have known it was an imitation firearm."

He imposed a four months jail sentence for the threatening and abusive behaviour and eight months for having the imitation firearm and waving it around – both sentences to run concurrently.