'King of Beggars' jailed after knife threat at market

Published on Tuesday 12 August 2008 10:23

EDINBURGH'S self-styled "King of the Beggars" has been jailed for eight months for threatening stall holders with a knife at a market.

John "Kaiser" McKay, 51, was on a three-day "bender" to celebrate his birthday when he brandished the weapon at the Festival Market in Parliament Square, a court heard.

He pleaded guilty at Edinburgh Sheriff Court yesterday to possession of a knife and assaulting three stall holders by threatening them with violence. He also admitted stealing three silver rings and committing a breach of the peace by shouting and swearing.

The incident came only ten days after a film shot by police featuring McKay was shown to shopkeepers in the Capital in a bid to encourage them to sign up to the Safer Off-Sales (SOS) scheme.

Fiscal depute Bruce Macrosson said McKay was walking up and down between the market stalls asking if he could buy some rings. The prosecutor said the accused became increasingly abusive to the stall holders, making vulgar remarks to women.

When they asked him to leave, McKay showed them a skean dhu he had up his sleeve and told them: "You need to be taught a lesson."

He told them he would drive them from their work so that he could steal items from their stalls, saying: "Do you know who I am? I am the King of the Beggars."

Defence agent Nigel Beaumont said: "He was on a bender on August 7, 8 and 9."