Machete thug wielded weapon in Greenock street and hid heroin

Robbie Hagen was caught with the stashed drugs after carrying the blade on South Street earlier this year.

The 23-year-old, who is currently remanded in custody, claimed that he had seen a family member being attacked and responded by waving the weapon in broad daylight and smashing it off the door of a property.

Robbie Lee Hagen (Image: Facebook)

CCTV footage, which captured the alarming January 25 incident in its entirety, was shown to Greenock Sheriff Court after Hagen had pleaded guilty to three indictment charges.

Defence solicitor Amy Spencer told the court: "The incident begins with a lady crossing the street and becoming involved in an altercation with two people in a common close area.

"That lady was Mr Hagen's auntie and he observed what he considered to be his auntie being assaulted and he has obviously reacted very poorly indeed to that.

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"He appreciates that he is going to receive a custodial sentence for this.

"As soon as he saw the CCTV he wished to try and resolve the matter."

Hagen admitted to having the machete in a public place without reasonable excuse or lawful authority and to brandishing the weapon and striking a door.

He also accepted a charge of heroin possession with intent to supply having been found with 19 grams of the class A substance, worth around £500, secreted within his boxer shorts.

Sheriff James Varney told Hagen: "At your age, to come before the court on not one but three very serious charges, you are quite right to expect a custodial sentence.

"Looking at the CCTV in the cold light of day, to see you brandishing a machete of that size in that way, the court is left with very, very few options."

READ MORE: Teen thug ambushed an autistic stranger's car and terrorised him with death threats

The Telegraph told in 2019 how Hagen, then aged 18, was given a 130-day prison term for an unprovoked attack on an autistic driver in Port Glasgow.

The teenager stepped in front of a car and forced his victim to stop before jumping on the bonnet and booting the windscreen until it shattered and caved in.

He threatened to stab and kill the young man but was cleared of an assault charge following a negotiated plea deal with prosecutors.

Sentence on the latest offences has been deferred until April 26 for background reports.