A Kirkcaldy man called a sheriff a “f***ing w***er” during an outburst in the dock.
Andrew Smith appeared from custody for sentencing after being found guilty of sending Facebook messages to a child.
They were deemed by prosecutors to be grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character.
Court papers state he repeatedly engaged in inappropriate and unwanted conversation with the girl and placed her in a state of fear or alarm in March last year.
At Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court, Smith was placed on the Sex Offenders Register following conviction.
Sheriff Timothy Niven-Smith found the 24-year-old guilty of the offence earlier this year.
He said, having heard the content of the messages, he had decided there was a “significant sexual aspect”.
The sheriff noted Smith had appealed but this was unsuccessful.
He had initially sentenced Smith to a community payback order (CPO) but the court heard the offender had not been attending appointments as part of this.
Sheriff Niven-Smith told him this time: “The CPO will be revoked and you will be sentenced to three months in prison from today”.
Court outburst
As Smith was led away by prison officers he turned to the sheriff and called him a “w***er” and claimed: “You are discriminating me”.
Sheriff Niven-Smith ordered him to be brought back into the dock.
Smith, formerly of Kirkcaldy‘s Saunders Street, then looked at the sheriff and said: “Sit down, who do you think you are? F***ing w***er”.
Niven-Smith replied: “The court won’t tolerate this. You are a sex offender”.
Smith said: “I am in the jail (on remand) for (another matter)”.
The sheriff then told him: “You have just demonstrated you are a violent man”.
Smith: “I am a violent man, that’s what I am”.
He was led away for a second and final time.
For the latest court cases across Tayside and Fife, join our dedicated Facebook page.
