A Fife woman who shouted sectarian abuse at neighbours and their grandchildren has been blasted by a sheriff for her “disgraceful” anti-Catholic tirade.
Elspeth Grieve narrowly avoided a prison sentence.
Dunfermline Sheriff Court heard she had been blaring music for seven hours in the back garden of her home in Ballingry’s Westwood Crescent earlier this summer.
Procurator fiscal depute Lauren Pennycook told the court the music was sectarian and that some of it related to Rangers FC.
The fiscal depute said Grieve started shouting abuse towards neighbours, including phrases such as “Fenian b******s” and “f*** the Pope”.
The court heard one witness saw 56-year-old Grieve imitating playing the flute.
Ms Pennycook said Grieve then told the couple’s grandchildren they were “wee Fenian b******s”.
Police were contacted and Grieve was taken to Dunfermline police station and she kept up the abuse and singing of sectarian songs on the way.
She told officers she’d “been done with this before” and had been fined, adding: “Do you think I give a f***?”
Grieve pled guilty last month to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by shouting, swearing, uttering offensive and derogatory remarks towards the couple and their grandchildren and towards police officers.
The incident took place on June 4 this year.
Grieve appeared in the dock at Dunfermline Sheriff Court last week for sentencing.
‘Disgraceful crime’
Sheriff Susan Duff told her: “This is an absolutely disgraceful crime.
“You subjected your neighbours and their… grandchildren to offensive bigoted music and abuse.
“Complainers endured seven hours of blaring sectarian music and you shouting sectarian abuse at them.
“You continued your anti-Catholic tirade in a police vehicle and at the police station.”
The sheriff said she’d given “serious consideration” to a custodial sentence but instead ordered Grieve to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and pay £400 compensation to her victims.
Sheriff Duff stressed this was a direct alternative to custody and that any failure to pay the compensation would be treated as serious.
Provoked
Defence lawyer Aime Allan said Grieve had felt provoked at the time but accepted any provocation was not accepted as a legal defence in this case.
Ms Allan said: “She understands, on reflection, her behaviour was wholly unacceptable.
“She lost her employment as a result of the guilty plea.
“It’s now her second conviction of a similar nature.
“It’s only her second conviction, though.”
