A Peel man has appeared in court facing allegations he brandished an axe at marshals at Laurel Bank.

Kristopher Robert Goldie, aged 26, whose address was given as a camper van situated within a field opposite Laurel Bank cottage, near Glen Helen, is charged with affray and taking a vehicle on closed roads.

He is yet to enter pleas and was remanded in custody.

Prosecutor Rachael Braidwood told the court that marshals had stopped a Vauxhall Vivaro van at Ballig Bridge while the roads were closed.

But instead of pulling off the road the driver performed a three-point-turn and headed back towards Glen Helen.

Marshals spoke to him in a field opposite Laurel Bank cottage where he was alleged to be ’ranting and raving’.

The accused was said by the prosecution to have told marshals: ’This land belongs to me and my dad and no-one is coming on it.’

He was also alleged to have said he was going to start a fire and to have started swinging a small hatchet around, chopping at tree branches.

Police arrived and the accused was said to have locked himself in his caravan refusing to come out.

Officers managed to open the vehicle and hr was restrained using Pava spray.

When interviewed later, he told police he had planned to drive to Peel to visit his family.

He said he believed the roads closed at 1pm so he had left at 12.40pm having seen a number of other vehicles on the road.

He denied being told to get off the course and said that marshals had come towards him aggressively. He admitted that he had sworn, saying he told marshals: ’Get off my land.’

He claimed a marshal had threatened to hit him with a shovel and made reference to a stick rather than an axe, saying he had told marshals he would hit them with it.

The court heard there were concerns over Mr Goldie’s mental health.

Duty advocate Winston Taylor said that Mr Goldie said that he had dropped his medication in a stream.

The advocate said that the camper van had since been moved to Mr Goldie’s parents’ home in Peel.

The court heard that he has no previous convictions.

A request for bail to Mr Goldie’s parents address in Peel was refused and he was remanded in custody until Tuesday (June 11).

Mr Taylor said that Mr Goldie wished to instruct Jane Gray.