A 32-year-old man who spat on a police officer in a Fife pub had been downing hand wash and vodka beforehand.
Dunfermline Sheriff Court heard that in February 2021, Dean Chappell assaulted two police officers by spitting on their bodies as they tried to help him at his home after he had been boozing and taking strong painkiller, Co-codamol.
On another occasion, on July 28 this year, Chappell was sitting on the floor of the Kings Bar in Kelty after finishing his pint of Guiness.
He shouted for an ambulance and argued with staff and customers until police were called and he spat on a female constable as he became increasingly aggressive.
Chappell previously pled guilty to all three assaults.
Defence lawyer Chris Sneddon said his client described his own behaviour as “disgusting, shameful and violent”, although his recollection of events was limited.
Mr Sneddon said Chappell has experienced “significant” alcohol problems adding, “he had been consuming hand wash on top of vodka and other alcohol”.
He was sentenced to 200 hours of unpaid work and placed on 12 months of supervision, as part of a community payback order.
Fraudster on the run
A Dundee fraudster who made £300,000 in a con in Leicester remains at large after failing to turn up for his trial. Nazir Daud was convicted in his absence and a warrant issued for his arrest.
Dog porn denial
Cori McIntosh, 30, of Inverary Avenue, Glenrothes has appeared in court accused of having images of women having sex with dogs.
He is alleged to have had the “extreme and realistic” pornography between June and August last year.
He is also said to have downloaded child sexual abuse images between December 2020 and August last year.
McIntosh denies the charge and will stand trial next year
True culprit weeded out
A landlord watched from the dock as his former tenant admitted to jurors he grew a £50,000 cannabis crop in his Buckhaven flat. Kenneth Dinse stood trial at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court after police found 81 plants at his Randolph Street flat but tenant Christopher Ross gave evidence and took the blame and Dinse walked free.
‘Matured’ in prison
Ryan Cooper, who bit his 16-year-old girlfriend’s face and dragged her across the floor, told a sheriff prison had “matured him.”
He was handed a backdated 22-month prison sentence in September and is now subject to a supervised release order.
He returned to the dock at Forfar Sheriff Court after admitting breaching a bail curfew in March 2021, before he was remanded.
Being addressed by Sheriff Krista Johnston, he said: “The jail matured me. It made me realise a lot of things.”
Before receiving his prison sentence, Cooper, of Glenclova, Montrose, had been subject to a 7pm to 7am bail curfew, forcing him to stay in his previous home in Forfar every night.
The order, imposed at Inverness Sheriff Court in June 2020, was breached on March 27 last year.
Sheriff Johnston admonished him.
Re-sentencing
A Montrose thug who broke his former girlfriend’s jaw in a vicious assault faces imprisonment after failing to complete an unpaid work order, imposed as a direct alternative to prison. Jay Taylor will be re-sentenced after the breach.
‘Put the boot in’ over high reading
Kirkcaldy joiner Scott Robertson was caught at nearly four times the drink-drive limit while nipping out to buy cigarettes for his fiance in the early hours of March 21
Defence lawyer Joe Mooney said his client had been drinking with his fiance in the town’s Penny Farthing pub the day before.
The lawyer said: “She ran out of cigarettes and he had not had a drink since he got home to the house and fell asleep and he said he felt okay to drive”.
Robertson, 44, of Bowhouse Drive, pled guilty to driving with excess alcohol (84 mics/ 22) on East Vows Walk.
Mr Mooney said he had “slightly put the boot in” with his client when he said he believed he was okay to drive, given the reading.
The court heard Robertson has previous convictions, including for drink-driving and driving while disqualified, though these happened more than 10 years ago.
Mr Mooney said his client works in Aberdeen, doing disabled adaptions for a housing association.
Sheriff Timothy Niven-Smith banned him for 16 months and fined him £720.
Councillor denies abuse
A former Fife councillor has appeared in court charged with child sex abuse and lewd and libidinous behaviour towards a child. Mick Green denied both charges levelled against him and will stand trial next year in Kirkcaldy.
Not pretending
A drink-drive suspect who insisted he was not pretending when he failed to operate a breathalyser has been banned from the road for a year.
Ewan Rawlings, 28, of Main Street, Bankfoot, was pulled over in Perth city centre on October 23 and asked to provide two samples of breath.
Fiscal depute Elizabeth Hodgson said: “The accused failed to blow into the breathalyser.
“Police officers believed he was pretending to blow into the device but was actually blowing outside the tube.”
Rawlings told police, “I’m happy to do the test” but in court, he admitted failing to provide breath specimens.
Solicitor Steve Lafferty said his client had been drinking with friends the night before and until 7am or 8am the next morning. He was breathalysed at 10pm.
He added: “He accepts that there wasn’t a reasonable excuse for not providing breath samples, but he says he was not pretending.”
Sheriff Gillian Wade also ordered him to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work.
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