A one-time Liberal Democrat council candidate who assaulted eight police officers in a series of violent outbursts has been given a jail warning.
Christopher Rennie clashed with police inside Perth Sheriff Court, at the city’s Moncreiffe Island, in a local Job Centre and at a branch of Greggs.
The 35-year-old – who vied for votes at a 2018 by-election in Highland Perthshire – spat on one officer, threw rocks at her colleague, attacked another constable with his own handcuffs, wrestled two PCs on the floor of the court and accused police of being responsible for Sarah Everard’s murder.
During one bust-up, he told police: “I don’t believe in the law”.
He was told his actions had crossed the “custody threshold”.
Courtroom rammy
Rennie was found guilty after trial of assaulting a police officer during an outburst at Perth’s Job Centre in October 2021.
He was further convicted of a similar tantrum involving three police at Gregg’s bakery in Pitlochry in 2019.
Now, he has pled guilty to two further outbursts.
He assaulted two police officers at Perth Sheriff Court on January 20 2022.
The constables were attempting to bring him under control after he kicked off in courtroom two.
At the time, Rennie was in court to answer allegations of an earlier police assault.
Officers called for back up as he ranted, screamed and refused to calm down.
Rennie admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner, likely to cause fear or alarm.
He pled guilty to assaulting one officer by repeatedly attempting to elbow him in the face and kick him on the body.
He kicked a second police officer and threw him to the ground.
Island attack
Rennie, of James Place, Perth, further admitted an outburst on Moncreiffe Island in the city centre on August 11 2021.
He injured PC Evan MacDonald by seizing hold of him, repeatedly throwing rocks at him and repeatedly kicking him.
He then turned on his colleague PC Lisette Henderson and spat in her face and repeatedly kicked her.
Sheriff Alison McKay said because one of the incidents happened at Perth Sheriff Court, the case would have to be transferred to Dundee.
“As far as I am concerned, this conduct puts you in the custody threshold but that will be a matter for someone else, not me,” she told Rennie.
Bakery bust-up and ‘star-fished’ on floor
The court previously heard how Rennie shouted and swore during a disturbance at Greggs, Atholl Road, Pitlochry, on August 12 2019.
He attacked one police officer by lashing out with his arms, grabbing his handcuffs and pushing them into his body.
Rennie was further found guilty of kicking two other female officers during the flare-up.
In June, the court heard about his self-described “meltdown” at Perth Job Centre on October 8 2021.
He refused to leave, “star-fished” on the floor and had to be physically slid along the ground towards the exit.
Rennie told the trial he reacted because he was scared of being tasered.
PC George Wilkie said: “He was saying that we were all rapists.
“He was saying we were responsible for the death of Sarah Everard in London.”
The officer added: “He was star-fishing on the floor and due to his size we were unable to stand him up.”
As he was arrested, Rennie said he “didn’t believe in the law.”
Sheriff William Gilchrist told him: “You should have just left.”
Sentence was deferred on all four cases.
In the 2018 by-election, Rennie placed sixth with 78 votes.
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