A crack addict has been jailed for a range of crimes including assaults on three women, driving at 16 times the cocaine limit and stealing champagne.
Gemma Masterton also racially abused a shop worker and assaulted three police constables, including one who had to take a Hepatitis C vaccine after being spat on.
The 34-year-old was ultimately sentenced on 11 charges when she appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court from custody.
She pleaded guilty to assaulting and robbing one woman to her injury at an address in Altyre Avenue, Glenrothes, behaving in a threatening manner to another woman in the same street, and assaulting three police officers, all on October 10 last year.
Masterton pushed her way into a 54-year-old woman’s home, seized her head and struck it against a wall causing her to fall to the ground, pulled her to her feet by the hair, seized her mobile phone as she tried to make a call for help, squeezed her throat, kicked her on the body, and robbed her of her phone and tobacco.
Threated to cut victim’s ‘face off’
Prosecutor Jennifer Bairner told the court that the woman was later found “covered in blood” and with a cut to the head.
Masterton tried to climb through a window at another property in the street and “engaged in a fight” with a woman there, the fiscal said.
During this incident, Masterton put a knife to her own throat and threatened to kill herself and, as a witness phoned police, Masterton said: “If you phone police I will come back and cut your face off”.
She then picked up a wooden pallet and threw it at a window.
The court heard that Masterton was later traced by police and taken to Kirkcaldy police station.
There she assaulted three constables, biting two female officers on the body and spitting on a male officer’s face.
The fiscal depute said the male officer had to attend hospital and was given a Hepatitis C vaccine as a precaution.
Drug drive
Masterton, formerly of Balbirnie Rise, Balbirnie Road, Glenrothes, also appeared for sentencing on various offences to which she previously pled guilty.
She had admitted assaulting another woman to her injury by repeatedly punching her on the head at an address in Dunbeath Drive, Glenrothes, on April 19 last year.
Video footage of the incident, recorded by a witness, showed Masterton sitting on top of her victim and punching her.
Medics later confirmed she suffered a broken nose and fractured bone in her cheek area.
Masterton also admitted assaulting another woman by repeatedly pushing her, causing her to fall to the ground, on July 30 2022 at Balbirnie Rise, Glenrothes.
She pled guilty to driving a red Audi estate car while unfit to drive through drink or drugs at Templehall Avenue, Kirkcaldy, on February 29 last year.
The fiscal depute said police were flagged down by a motorist who reported seeing the vehicle around 2:30pm “swerving all over the road” and officers caught up with the Audi.
Ms Bairner continued: “The vehicle pulled in and mounted the verge, stopped and almost collided with a parked vehicle”.
Masterton was found to be under the influence and told officers she was on prescription medication.
‘Addiction is a disease’
The fiscal said a blood sample was later taken for analysis and a toxicology report found her to be over the specified limit for cocaine, having in excess of 800mcg per litre of blood when the limit is 50mcg per litre.
Masterton also admitted stealing alcohol from Bridgend Filling Station, the A92 near Freuchie, around 2:30pm on June 3 last year.
The fiscal depute said Masterton picked up four bottles of gin – three of which cost £35 – and a £48 bottle of champagne and a £10.69 bottle of prosecco and left without paying.
Police later identified her on CCTV and none of the stolen items were recovered, the court heard.
While being cautioned and charged, Masterton replied: “Embarrassed, disappointing, I know it’s wrong, addiction is a disease”.
Staff ‘look down on her’
Masterton also admitted stealing sandwiches and an energy drink from a Co-op in Woodside Road, Glenrothes, and behaving in a threatening or abusive manner towards a female shop worker there by shouting, swearing, and repeatedly making offensive remarks to her.
The offending, which happened on October 5 last year, was aggravated by prejudice relating to race, colour, nationality, or ethnic or national origins.
The fiscal depute said staff had pursued Masterton after she stole the items and she told one of them to “f*** off”.
One employee told Masterton she was not allowed back and she turned and “called her an English c***,” the fiscal said.
The court heard that the woman was born in England but has lived in Scotland for 30 years, was upset by the language used, and had never had that level of abuse before.
Ms Bairner added: “The accused said ‘f**k off, you can’t tell me what to do’ and told staff she only steals because the staff ‘look down on her,’ and she walked off.”
Prison sentence
Defence lawyer Iain McCafferty said the bulk of offences appear to have been committed while Masterton is under the influence.
The solicitor said she had previously been weaned off methadone and that heroin “drifted into the background and difficulties with crack cocaine seem to have taken over”.
He said Masterton resorted to crack cocaine as a coping strategy for poor mental health.
Mr McCafferty said that, since his client has been on remand (October last year), she is a far healthier person.
He said Masterton recognises she has to take help to avoid coming back into “this sort of cycle”.
Sheriff Robert More jailed Masterton for a total of two years, backdated to October 11.
She was also banned from driving for two years.
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