A drunken thug assaulted a 79-year-old woman at Perth’s Lovat Hotel and threatened to stab police when they turned up to arrest him.
Grant Coutts lobbed his mobile phone at his elderly victim after offending her with a “rude” remark.
The 36-year-old, who lost the plot when he was asked to stop smoking in the bar, went on a homophobic rant and made threats to officers.
Coutts appeared at Perth Sheriff Court and admitted assaulting the woman at the Glasgow Road establishment on September 23 2024.
He further pled guilty to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner as he was led away in handcuffs from the hotel.
The Lovat recently gained national attention when it featured in Channel 4’s popular Four in a Bed reality show.
Sexual charge dropped
Solicitor David Holmes, defending, said it was agreed by prosecutors there was no significant sexual element to his client’s offending.
A not guilty plea was accepted to an allegation of indecent verbal communication with Coutts’ elderly victim.
It had been alleged he had suggested she could perform a sex act on him.
Fiscal depute Lissie Cooke told the court: “At about 11pm, the accused was within the bar area of the hotel.
“He had been consuming alcohol to excess and was observed trying to light a cigarette while still inside the bar.”
She said: “A member of staff reminded him that there was no smoking indoors.
“The accused took umbrage to this and became aggressive but he did eventually extinguish his cigarette.”
The court heard Coutts then turned his attention to the septuagenarian woman sitting by herself.
“He sat in front of her and engaged in conversation. They started playing cards together.
“An exchange was had which the complainer thought was rude.
“She told him he had had too much to drink and suggested he go to bed.
“The accused then removed a phone from his trouser pocket and threw it in the complainer’s direction, hitting her on the shoulder.”
Ms Cooke said although there was no injury, the woman was left “frightened to the extent she contacted police”.
Handcuffed
Officers arrived just before midnight.
“The complainer was visibly fearful of the accused, who was still sat in front of her,” said Ms Cooke.
Coutts, stinking of alcohol and slurring his words, was removed from the bar.
He began shouting abuse at police, calling one constable a “f***ing poofter.”
Handcuffed and placed in the back of a police van, he continued shouting incoherently and aggressively, said Ms Cooke.
He ranted about “gay boys” and made threats to find the officers when they were off-duty and would “stab the f*** out of them.”
Sheriff Andrew Berry told Coutts: “Whenever I sit in court, anywhere in the country, there are people standing where you are standing who think it is appropriate to abuse other people because they have taken too much alcohol.
“It is the same behaviour from the same people and its all rooted in the abuse of alcohol or drugs.”
The sheriff placed Coutts, of Castlebank Street, Edinburgh, on supervision for a year and ordered him to engage with alcohol counselling services.
“This is maybe the sort of support you need to avoid a repeat of this kind of behaviour,” Sheriff Berry said.
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