A Fife police officer was left concussed and needed two weeks off work after an intoxicated yob caused a window to fall on his head.
Mark Wishart was brought from jail – where he is already serving a sentence for police assault – to admit culpably and recklessly forcing the pane off its hinges, causing it to fall on PC Cameron Lee.
After being spotted by police, Wishart had dashed into a house in Kirkcaldy and locked himself in.
While officers were in the garden, he forced the window off its hinges, causing it to fall on PC Lee’s head.
Wishart then jumped from a window, landing on another constable and causing him to fall into a fence.
Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court heard from Wishart’s solicitor he was once given “a good old-fashioned kicking” by police but a sheriff told him that was “no excuse” for his conduct.
Unhinged
Fiscal depute Andrew Brown told the court police spotted Wishart in the passenger seat of a car on February 2 and gave chase when he bolted.
He locked himself in a house in the town’s Almond Place and due to his criminal record, support was requested.
Mr Brown said: “PC Lee was speaking through a downstairs window, trying to reason with the accused to come outside the locus.
“The accused has pushed the window from inside with such force that the hinges were broken, causing them to come off.”
The window fell and struck PC Lee on the head.
He was concussed and needed two weeks off work to recover.
Wishart began challenging police and threatened to fight any officer who entered the property.
More police injuries
A family member provided police with keys for the property.
Wishart made his way to a window ledge five feet above the ground.
He leaped a further five-feet into the air and crashed down on top of PC Ross Woodbridge, causing them to tumble into a small wooden fence, which collapsed under their weight.
PC Woodbridge suffered a small cut.
After struggling violently, Wishart was eventually cuffed and leg restraints were applied.
Another officer, PC Reece Laird, suffered a cut and bruising near his right eye.
‘Good, old-fashioned kicking’
Wishart, 36, of Dunsire Street in Kirkcaldy, admitted culpable and reckless conduct and acting in a threatening or abusive manner.
He pled guilty to resisting, obstructing or hindering the arresting PCs.
Solicitor Calum Harris said his client was jailed for a police assault after appearing from custody in March.
Mr Harris said: “It’s an incident that he doesn’t really recall due to intoxication.
“He was confused by why the police were there but he saw them and clearly made efforts to evade them.
“He accepts this is the sort of behaviour that has marred his adult life.”
Mr Harris continued: “He got a good, old-fashioned kicking from the police when he was younger.
“It seems to have marred his attitude towards the police.
“There is a level of insight that he accepts that doesn’t give him a right to take that out on officers.”
Mr Harris said his client had misused cocaine and Valium in the past and developed a heroin dependency around five years ago.
Sheriff Mark O’Hanlon imposed a nine-month prison sentence to be served concurrently to his current spell behind bars.
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