TWO men have pleaded guilty to possession of a machete – or knife – in North Drumry.

William Baxter and Ryan Dyer both appeared at Dumbarton Sheriff Court last week stemming from a single phone call to an ambulance.

Though the men were dealt with as separate cases, the charges emerged from a call by Baxter at 8.31am on Saturday, December 16. 

The ambulance service contacted police and they all descended on Riddell Street. They forced entry to a flat in Garscadden View when there was no reply.

They found 32-year-old Baxter and 21-year-old Dyer with a sheath in the right leg of his track suit trousers and he eventually complained he had been the victim of an assault – a male swinging a “big chopper”, heard the court. Dyer had an injury to his head.

Baxter was taken to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and found to have a superficial puncture wound to his right thigh.

CCTV showed both men in possession of a blade. The court was not told who had the item first. They pleaded guilty last week to possession of an offensive weapon.

When he was taken into custody, Baxter denied he had been in possession of a knife but there had been an altercation in the flat and he claimed he was assaulted by two males.

He told them: “If I had a knife, it was for my own protection.”

Dyer, listed as a prisoner of Low Moss, was described as dealing with drug difficulties in recent years.

His defence solicitor said: “Around October, he deliberately got himself into difficulty to get himself arrested to take him out of the community. He was sentenced to a short period.

“He was released on a community payback order with supervision and unpaid work. He had something of a relapse. 

“I have no explanation for him taking possession of this item, but CCTV shows him accepting it from another male – clearly an act of stupidity.”

Sheriff Maxwell Hendry told Dyer: “Any right thinking person will know this is an item you don’t accept under any circumstances.”

Dyer was jailed for 12 months, backdated to December 18.

Baxter has 20 drug convictions, admitted his defence solicitor, but had been sober and drugs free for eight months before this incident.

He was the victim of an unprovoked attack, leaving him with a laceration to his face, and he returned to “old habits”.

Solicitor Danielle Docherty told the court: “Before December 16, he had been drinking for a full week. 

“He didn’t go out early that day looking for trouble. He didn’t go out armed. 

“The only explanation is he came by the item in the property but should not have taken it with him.”

Sheriff Hendry deferred sentence on Baxter to March 20 so background reports could be prepared.