A man who grabbed a police officer between the legs and called her colleague a homophobic slur has been handed unpaid work.
When Colin Reid refused to put down a beer bottle at the request of officers there was a struggle.
Reid spat in the face of one, calling him a “p**f” and a “p*****r*, then grabbed his female colleague between the legs and refused to let go.
Reid, 38, appeared at Inverness Sheriff Court for sentencing having admitted two charges of assault, one of which was aggravated by prejudice regarding sexual orientation. He also pled guilty to a single charge of threatening or abusive behaviour.
At the previous hearing, fiscal depute Pauline Gair said the incident took place on November 9 last year.
Offender appeared ‘under the influence’
She said: “The accused entered the property via a rear door. He appeared under the influence of some substance, he was unsteady on his feet, his eyes were glazed and speech slurred. It was noted that he was swearing to himself under his breath.”
Mrs Gair said that Reid was carrying a glass bottle of beer, which the officers asked him to put down amid concerns for their own safety. He refused and ended up struggling with officers.
Reid spat at one officer’s mouth area and repeatedly called him a p**f and a p*****r.
When the second officer tried to intervene “he reached around between her legs and grabbed hard on her vagina”.
The officer told him to stop but “the accused continued to hold on to her vaginal area.”
Solicitor Stephen Carty, for Reid, told the court his client “had been drinking at home and clearly was not expecting officers to attend at his address”.
Man surprised by officers in his kitchen
He said: “He had been in the garden, came into the kitchen and found two police officers here.
“He reached for the bottle of beer not because he was going to do anything untoward with it, but because he was going to be drinking it.
“He accepts that he did behave as indicted. He accepts that must have been very upsetting for the police officers.”
“All he can do at this stage is apologise to the court and to the police officers for acting in this way.”
Sheriff Eilidh MacDonald told Reid: “I accept that these officers were in your house but they were there for a reason.
“Your violent reaction to them when they were carrying out their duty was unacceptable and punishment has to be made.”
She placed Reid on a community payback order with two years’ supervision and 225 hours of unpaid work in the community.