A group of football fans have been fined a total of £4,500 after their drunken antics caused upset on a crowded train.
Derek Ewing, Gordon Harrison, Mark Smith and David Wilson were travelling back to their Edinburgh homes on September 10 last year when their behaviour got out of hand.
The four friends had been in Inverness watching Hearts play and had caught an evening train to Perth which was full of supporters and other passengers.
Perth Sheriff Court heard on Tuesday that the mood was ”good”, with ”plenty of banter” between Hearts fans and Partick Thistle supporters who had been returning from Dingwall.
As the train approached Aviemore, however, the atmosphere changed significantly.
Depute fiscal Vicky Bell said: ”A female passenger, who was never traced, was heard to take exception with the four accused and the language they were using. She had children with her and she said something to them along the lines of ‘you must think you are all big boys’ as she moved off the train.”
Mr Wilson, of Stenhouse Drive, responded to her comments using foul language before leading Harrison, of Sighthill Grove; Smith of Ivy Terrace and Ewing of Niddrie Mill Crescent in a sexually abusive chant aimed at the woman. The 33-year-old and co-accused Ewing (31) were then heard to start singing football songs, some with racist lyrics.
Two British Transport Police officers who were on board the train due to the high volume of football fans were approached by other passengers and told about the behaviour of Ewing, Harrison, Smith and Wilson.
By the time the officers reached the rear carriage where they were sitting, however, the singing had stopped so they moved through the train again. Shortly afterwards, Ewing and Wilson began singing the racial songs again.
When the train reached Perth just after 8pm, the four men were arrested.
Harrison and Smith both admitted that on September 10 last year, at a point during a train journey between Inverness and Perth, they conducted themselves in a disorderly manner by shouting, swearing , singing sexually offensive comments to a passenger and committing a breach of the peace.
Ewing and Wilson both admitted to the same charge, but with an added element of singing a racially offensive song.
Harrison and Smith were each fined £800, while Ewing received a fine of £1,200 and Wilson was ordered to pay £1,700.
Sentencing the four men, Sheriff Lindsay Foulis singled out Wilson for causing the ”most serious” element of the offence.
”Firstly, you are not only involved in sexual comments, you are also involved in disgraceful racial singing and may even have ‘upped the ante’ as far as Ewing is concerned,” he added.
Sheriff Foulis also imposed a three-year football ban order on Wilson.