A drunken Fife man who climbed into a police car with his takeaway and pressed the horn, before assaulting two officers, has been ordered to carry out unpaid work.
Henry Mullen entered the marked vehicle in Dunfermline town centre, while two officers were dealing with a separate incident nearby.
Mullen later threatened to kill the officers after they moved him on from a nearby pub.
After the 38-year-old was arrested, he lashed out, kicking one officer and spitting in the face of another.
‘Can’t take a joke’
Fiscal depute Alistair McDermid told Dunfermline Sheriff Court that police were a short distance from their car when Mullen clambered inside, with takeaway in hand.
Mr McDermid said the two officers went to the junction of Bridge Street and the High Street in relation to a mental health incident, not involving Mullen, and briefly left their marked police car to try and get an exact location for the call.
Both officers then heard the horn of their car sounding and saw the accused crawling out of the passenger seat side.
Mr McDermid said the officers approached Mullen, who was “visibly intoxicated, slurring his words and holding a bag of takeaway food.”
One of the officers told Mullen to leave the area so they could attend their original call but he replied that they “can’t take a joke” and “there’s a reason why you’re all hated”.
Police assault
The fiscal depute said a short time later Mullen was seen causing issues outside Tappie Toories pub and the officers arrested him, while others took over their original call.
As they walked him to the police car he attacked the two constables.
At Dunfermline police station, Mullen calmed down and apologised to the officers, stating he “had had too much to drink”.
Mullen, of Blamey Crescent in Cowdenbeath, admitted behaving in a threatening and abusive manner in Dunfermline’s Bridge Street and High Street on various occasions on June 15.
He further admitted assaulting one police officer by kicking him on the leg and another by spitting in his eye and cheek.
Mullen appeared at Dunfermline Sheriff Court on Monday for sentencing and Sheriff Susan Duff imposed a community payback order of 100 hours.
Defence solicitor Gordon Martin said his client was unable to say why he behaved in this way but acknowledged he had clearly drunk too much alcohol.
