A 16-year-old Fife girl who admitted spitting on police officers and paramedics escaped a sentence of detention only because of her age.
The teen, who cannot be named for legal reasons, began her catalogue of offending in Dunfermline’s Forth Street and continued after she had been arrested.
At the town’s Sheriff Court, she admitted that on April 17 at Forth Street she acted in a racially aggravated manner by shouting abuse at police officers.
She then assaulted two paramedics by spitting at them.
The teen also admitted having spat in the face of a policeman.
She later used more racially abusive language to officers and, at Kirkcaldy police station, spat in the face and on the arm of a custody care officer.
Depute fiscal Dev Kapadia said police and the ambulance service had been called to help the girl because of concerns about her erratic behaviour and fears she was hallucinating.
Sheriff James MacDonald said it was only the girl’s young age that persuaded him not to impose a custodial sentence.
Instead, he imposed a community payback order with 12 months’ supervision and a restriction of liberty order for 18 weeks.