A former soldier has admitted attempting to throttle a police constable before boasting to cops: “I enjoyed that fight”
Arron Campbell was spotted by police causing a disturbance on Aberdeen’s Bridge Street following a night out on Saturday August 21.
When officers rolled down their window to tell him to get off the road he turned to them and said: “What did you just say to me?”
Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard that Campbell then became “irate” with officers as they attempted to arrest him.
The 37-year old then grabbed one constable by the throat and began to squeeze.
Campbell pleaded guilty to two charges of behaving in an aggressive manner and of assaulting a police officer.
‘You can’t put those cuffs on me I’m ex-army’
Fiscal depute Carol Gammie told the court: “The constable put his hands on him and he immediately became irate and was shouting at them to remove their hands from him.
“The officers then quickly tried to cuff him, to which he replied: ‘You can’t put those cuffs on me I’m ex-army’.
“The accused went for the officer and grabbed him by the throat and began to squeeze.”
The constable was able to free himself almost immediately but Campbell then kicked his legs away from him causing both to fall to the ground.
The two continued to struggle on the ground before Campbell was able to be restrained by other officers.
As Campbell was being put in the police van he began laughing and told officers “I enjoyed that fight”.
Accused was ‘angry’ at the actions of police
Defence agent Christopher Maitland confirmed that Campbell was a former soldier in the British forces but told the court his client “had been drinking but was not drunk” on Saturday night.
He added: “He was angry at the situation and the actions of the police.
“He claims that during the incident he was struck several times by the officers.
“But I have told him that if he had just been polite then this wouldn’t have happened and he wouldn’t be here today.”
Sheriff Margaret Hodge told the former squaddie that she felt the most appropriate way of dealing with his crime was to make him carry out work in the community.
She sentenced Campbell, of Great Northern Road, Aberdeen, to a community payback order with a requirement that he carry out 60 hours of unpaid work.
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