A drink-drive suspect refused to be breathalysed and made angry threats to “rape and kill” a police officer’s family.
Roofer Robert Mitchell flew into a rage when he was pulled over in Dunfermline’s Sanderling Way earlier this year.
He called one officer, a Polish national, an “immigrant” and told him to “go over to your own country”.
The 33-year-old appeared at the city’s sheriff court and pled guilty to a racially aggravated charge of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner.
His actions were described by a sheriff as “deplorable”.
‘I will punch you’
Fiscal depute Catherine Stevenson said Mitchell was stopped by officers as he headed towards the A92, on January 15.
His attitude towards officers changed after being informed he would be arrested.
The fiscal said: “He replied, ‘just arrest me’.
“One of the police officers exited the vehicle and made their way to the rear in order to apply cuffs.
“On approaching the accused he stated, ‘if you touch me, I will punch you'”.
Officers called for back-up when Mitchell began to struggle.
Ms Stevenson said the accused shouted threats included: “I will kill you and your family; your whole family is dead; I know your face and know your address; I will kill and rape your family”.
The fiscal continued: “This has put the police officer in a state of fear or alarm and the accused was placed in the rear area of a police van where he began to shout at officers while kicking the cage”.
The fiscal said Mitchell’s aggressive behaviour continued on the way to Dunfermline police station, adding: “(He) has directed aggression at one of the police officers and made the statement, ‘immigrant, go over to your own country’.
“The police officer is a Polish national”.
Handcuffs were ‘painful’
Ms Stevenson said Mitchell, of Golfdrum Street, Dunfermline, refused to provide breath samples when at the police station.
Mitchell pled guilty to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by repeatedly shouting at and struggling with police officers, uttering threats of violence and racial remarks, and repeatedly kicking the police vehicle.
Court papers state the offence was racially aggravated under Section 96 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.
Mitchell also admitted a charge of failing to provide, without reasonable excuse, two specimens of breath for analysis to ascertain his ability to drive or the proportion of alcohol in his breath at the time.
He also admitted another charge of breaching a bail condition not to contact a former partner in March 2021.
Defence lawyer David McLaughlin said Mitchell, a roofer by trade, was “appropriately contrite and disgusted” after re-reading what he’d said to police.
He claimed he was aggravated at the time by the application of handcuffs being “quite painful”.
Mr McLaughlin also said Mitchell had suffered from the loss of his mother in early February, and that his father and brother were involved in a fatal road traffic accident shortly after that.
Sheriff Lindsay Foulis described Mitchell’s behaviour towards police as “deplorable”.
The sheriff sentenced him to carry out 140 hours of unpaid work and banned him from driving for 16 months.
Mitchell was also fined £500 for the breach of bail.
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