A CHRONIC alcoholic who threatened to bite a police officer’s face off during a drunken tirade has been jailed.
Michael McConnell, 49, became “irate” during a disturbance in the A&E department at Ninewells Hospital at around 3.30pm on January 8.
He then made violent threats toward officers at police headquarters on West Bell Street, as well as making homophobic remarks.
Dundee Sheriff Court heard police were on duty at the hospital after being called out on another matter.
A member of staff alerted them to McConnell, of Brewery Lane, who was behaving abusively in a waiting area.
Depute fiscal Kirsten Letford said: “Police approached the accused and asked him to leave but he became irate and was not going to leave. He told the police officers to ‘**** off’.
“He continued in this manner so police officers handcuffed him and took him to police headquarters.
“In relation to the threats of violence, he said: ‘See you, I’ll bite your ******* face off. What do you want? A headbutt or a bite to the face? I’m going to kill you’.”
McConnell also made a homophobic remark to an officer at the charge bar, said Ms Letford.
Appearing from custody, McConnell pleaded guilty to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by shouting, swearing, threatening police with violence and making homophobic remarks.
Solicitor Kevin Hampton said McConnell had a long-standing alcohol addiction which was the root cause of most of his offending.
McConnell had attended Ninewells about an anoscopy in relation to his alcohol addiction, he said.
Mr Hampton said his client was “at pains” to stress most of his abusive behaviour occurred at police headquarters rather than at Ninewells.
He was sentenced to six months in prison.
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