An argumentative drunk had part of his finger bitten off during a bar fight that started when he refused staff’s requests to leave a Highland hotel.
Ronnie Russell was told to leave the Marine Hotel in Invergordon when he started arguing with other patrons of the High Street establishment.
But when the 41-year-old ignored the staff’s requests to go home, a customer confronted Russell and a bar brawl ensued, on September 18 of this year.
As the barmaid turned away, she heard a glass smashing, before the two men crashed through a set of double doors and into the pub’s toilet area.
The man who had intervened was later seen to have a large lump on his head, and Russell was on the floor with a woman who was applying a bandage to his finger.
Russell swore at police
Fiscal depute Sharon Ralph told Tain Sheriff Court police officers arrived and handcuffed Russell, keeping his hand elevated, but he struggled with them and shouted abuse.
The court heard that Russell shouted to officers that they were f******* as well as calling them the ableist slur, s*******.
One of the officers was called an “English ****,” the fiscal said.
Officers attempted to talk to the other injured man who was involved in the earlier scuffle but he “refused to provide details and disclose what had happened”.
Russell pled guilty to a charge of cuplable and reckless conduct in connection with the bar fight.
He also admitted charges of threatening or abusive behaviour – using discriminatory language relating to disability – and resisting, obstructing or hindering police officers in execution of their duty.
Offender was ‘plainly drunk’
Defence solicitor Neil Wilson said that Russell was “plainly drunk” at the time of the incident but that his client “came off worse and had part of his finger bitten off”.
He added that Russell felt like the other man: “Had no business stepping in”.
Mr Wilson said that he suspected the complainer’s refusal to engage with police was because: “He frankly wanted nothing to do with it because he was also in the wrong”.
He pointed out that the fiscal depute had made reference to his client: “sitting on the floor of the bar, screaming” following the incident.
The defence solicitor added: “This is the point at which I suspect he realised part of his finger was missing”.
In mitigation for Russell’s behaviour with the police outside the pub, Mr Wilson said: “He is drunk, he has just had part of his finger bitten off and he is rather upset about that”.
Sheriff David Harvie handed Russell, of Ord Terrace, Invergordon, fines totalling £420 and told him to address the cause of his offending.
