A DRUG intoxicated knife offender who claimed he had ingested hundreds of class C pills in a bid to end his life threatened to blow police officers' eyeballs out with a shotgun after being taken to hospital.

Greenock Sheriff Court heard that Joseph Fabiani was transported to Inverclyde Royal in a cell van after he was found heavily under the influence in a common close on Cathcart Street late last year.

The 34-year-old was searched by constables on the morning of November 14 and had a knife in his jacket pocket, resulting in his arrest.

He told officers that he had taken 500 tablets of street valium and the court heard that he smashed his head off the side of the cell van while kicking out and screaming on the way to the accident and emergency department at the IRH.

Procurator fiscal depute Kirstin Brierley told a court hearing: "Whilst in custody his behaviour was generally obstructive.

"He told police at the hospital: 'I will punch you about in a heartbeat. I slashed police constables. There will be a bomb outside your house'.

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"He commented, 'When I get out I'll find you, daggers will be thrown'.

"He claimed his family members had murdered folk and he threatened to 'put a shotgun in the mouth of officers, trace them and blow their eyeballs out'."

The court heard Fabiani suggested he would 'shoot officers, bite their noses off and kneecap them', and told PCs: "I will stick a shooter right through your mouth."

Defence solicitor Aidan Gallagher told the court that Fabiani had been 'in a flat of an acquaintance who provided him with a substantial amount of etizolam' prior to the incident.

The lawyer said: "He remembers taking two handfuls of them. His intention was to take his own life.

"He planned to overdose in the first instance, and the knife was almost as a fallback, he intended to use it to harm himself.

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"He left the property then found himself in a common close in a heavily intoxicated state.

"It is obvious this type of behaviour is wholly unacceptable.

"He is quite ashamed, heavily embarrassed and remorseful."

Mr Gallagher said his client 'does not have any real recollection of what took place' and added: "For what it is worth, he is apologetic for his behaviour."

Sheriff James Varney told Fabiani, who has been remanded since the date of the offences and has previous convictions for knife crime: "The Crown narrative in this case does not make for good reading.

"Police officers had gone there to assist you.

"It is terrifying to hear these things in the cold light of day."

Fabiani was jailed for 21 months, with the sentence backdated to November 15, 2023.