An Aberdeen hotel guest began doing handstands and challenging people to fight when staff threatened to take away his pint in the bar.
Nicholas Richardson “overreacted” when staff asked him to leave the bar at the Britannia Hotel in Bucksburn where he had been staying.
The 36-year-old had been told he was not allowed to use the bar following a previous incident.
And when staff found him there and asked him to leave, Richardson launched into a bizarre hour-long outburst, performing handstands against a wall and threatening to “smash this place up” if his pint was taken away.
Fiscal depute Susan Love told Aberdeen Sheriff Court: “At around 5pm on December 7 Mr Richardson checked in at the Britannia Hotel.”
Ms Love said a female employee informed Richardson he would have to stay in his room and was not allowed in the bar due to a previous issue.
She continued: “At 8pm she was made aware by a colleague the accused was within the bar area and refusing to return to his room.”
When the employee asked him to leave Richardson began to shout and swear.
Ms Love said: “He complained of being treated like a dog.
“The woman was standing behind the bar. The accused walked towards her in an intimidating manner.
“He shouted he was ‘not scared’ of her and that he would ‘show’ her.”
The fiscal said this left staff feeling intimidated.
She went on: “When he was advised his pint would be taken away he said ‘if you take it off me I’ll smash this place up.
“He started doing handstands against the wall and began approaching other guests in the bar area and challenging them to a fight.
“This behaviour took place for around an hour.
“Police were called and attended at the hotel, at which point they found the accused standing outside with a friend.”
He was arrested and taken to Kittybrewster station.
Richardson pled guilty to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner.
Defence agent Ian Woodward-Nutt his client had been working in the area as an HGV driver at the time of the incident.
The solicitor said: “He accepts there had been an incident previously when he made a complaint with regards to the quality of the food he’d been served.
“Ultimately he considered he was being treated unfairly on December 7 by staff.
“He doesn’t recall staff telling him he was not allowed to attend at the bar.”
Mr Woodward-Nutt described his client’s behaviour as “somewhat extraordinary”, adding: “He deeply regrets reacting in the way he did and in the cold light of day now appreciates there was a gross overreaction on his part.
“He asked me to publically extend an apology to the court and anyone who witnessed his behaviour.”
Sheriff Raymond McMenamin told Richardson, of Hazel Gardens, Saltburn: “Your behaviour was entirely unacceptable and I think you must accept that and understand that now.
“I take a dim view of people being put in a position such as the position you put the workers in on this occasion. It just simply is not on.”
He ordered Richardson to complete 60 hours of unpaid work.
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