A Fife hairdresser believes he was spiked on the night he assaulted two bouncers at a Dunfermline nightclub and threatened to kill police and rape their children.
Liam Baxter was being escorted from the city’s Lourenzos nightclub when he lashed out at the door staff, then spat at them while being restrained on the ground.
Dunfermline Sheriff Court heard he then made repeated vile threats of sexual violence towards police officers and said he would rape their children.
Procurator fiscal depute Jamie Hilland said in one instance he told an officer he was going to cut off her child’s testicles.
The incident took place at around 2.30am on September 12 last year.
First offender Baxter, 21, appeared in the dock for sentencing this week after admitting the offences last month.
Spiking claim
Defence lawyer Aime Allan told the court her client had consumed a lot of alcohol and had little recollection of events but was “extremely embarrassed” by his actions and wanted to apologise to his victims.
In reference to his social work report, the solicitor said: “The report discusses the possibility of him being spiked on the occasion but there is no proof and whether he was or wasn’t he still acted in the manner described.
“The reason he believes that is this is extremely out of character.
“Despite consuming a significant amount of alcohol it’s not an amount he has never consumed before and has never acted in this manner.”
Ms Allan said her client, who is employed in a hairdressing salon and studies at college, hopes to complete his course and make his position full-time.
The solicitor also stressed he was 20 at the time of the offence and had no previous record of offending.
Rape threats
The court heard previously Baxter had been behaving erratically in the nightclub’s smoking area and was asked to leave by two door supervisors – a woman and a man.
When he refused, they escorted him out, each holding one of his arms.
He wriggled free and started hitting the woman in the shoulder and kicking her leg.
The court heard, when outside, Baxter grabbed the man’s right hand and bit his two middle fingers.
He then bit his left hand, puncturing the skin.
The door staff managed to restrain him on the ground until police arrived but he spat on the man’s face and arm and on the woman’s clothing.
Fiscal depute Mr Hilland said: “While being restrained, the accused was shouting and swearing, threatening to kill both (door supervisors) and threatening to rape them and rape their kids.
“He also threatened to shoot them.”
When police officers arrived, they heard the threats, arrested Baxter and placed a spit hood on him and took him to Dunfermline police station.
While in the back of the police van, he repeatedly verbally abused the officers, made further rape threats towards one and made explicit remarks of sexual violence towards them.
Baxter, of Kirktoun Gardens in Ballingry, pled guilty to two charges of assaulting and threatening each door supervisor at Lourenzos on September 12 last year and threatening police officers.
Comments ‘off the scale’
Sheriff David Hall described Baxter’s offending, particularly the comments made to police and door staff, as “extremely concerning.”
The sheriff said: “Police officers in the course of their duty will be well used to people intoxicated making comments to them but some of these comments are really off the scale.”
Sheriff Hall told Baxter he “should be mortified” by his behaviour.
The sheriff said: “You are now 21, have no previous convictions and no outstanding cases.
“You left school with qualifications and certainly appear to have a talent in the field you are working in and it would be extremely unfortunate if you were to throw that all away by repeating this type of behaviour in future.”
As a direct alternative to custody, Baxter was sentenced to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and undertake a supervision requirement as part of an 18-month community payback order.
The sheriff also imposed a six-month restriction of liberty order for Baxter to stay at home between 7pm and 7am daily.
Sheriff Hall warned him that should he breach the order, he will “go to jail”.
