A bed and breakfast boss has claimed he didn’t know about Covid-19 restrictions when he went to his local supermarket and was abusive to a checkout worker.
Ronald Purdie snapped when he was instructed by the woman to maintain a two-metre distance and called her a “silly cow”.
His own solicitor said his excuse – that he wasn’t aware of the pandemic in March 2020 – was “hard to believe”.
The 70-year-old, who runs the Stonechats B&B in Scourie, appeared at Inverness Sheriff Court and admitted threatening or abusive behaviour towards staff in the Ullapool Tesco on March 19 2020.
Fiscal depute Ruraidh Allison told Sheriff Sara Matheson that Purdie was asked at the check-out to retreat to a two-metre marker and “became agitated”.
“He said: ‘I don’t have a disease’. He threw a £20 not at the check-out assistant and said to her: ‘Here you are, you silly cow,’ said the fiscal depute.
“He was then escorted from the premises by a member of staff and a security officer.”
Defence solicitor Matthew Berlow said his client claimed he didn’t know about the pandemic and added that he thought that was hard to believe.
He said: “Then I realised this incident was at the very start of the pandemic. My client doesn’t own a TV or radio or listen to the news. He also keeps to himself.
“He didn’t know what was happening. He has been to that Tesco hundreds of times and felt he was being treated like a little boy. But it was still unpleasant behaviour.”
Sheriff Matheson decided to admonish Purdie but added: “I am going to put you on trust and ask you to make a £100 donation to charity.”
Purdie replied: “I can certainly do that.”
