A man smashed his way out of a police car shouting “I will f****** kill yous” as officers dealt with his girlfriend who had just punched the constables’ faces.
Robert Maclean, 35, and Melissa Stewart, 38, had already assaulted the manager of the Wetherspoon’s pub on Fort William High Street after he refused to serve them alcohol.
When police tried to arrest the couple the violence escalated even further as officers were bitten, punched and headbutted by the pair.
Appearing at Inverness Sheriff Court, both of them admitted assaulting the pub manager and a policewoman on December 23 last year
And Stewart also pled guilty to the assault of a policeman, while Maclean also admitted willfully or recklessly smashing a police car window.
‘Irate and confrontational’
Fiscal depute Martina Eastwood told the court that the couple had entered The Great Glen pub at around 1pm and spent the day drinking heavily before the first incident.
“During this time they became increasingly intoxicated and were being loud, dropping glasses on the floor,” she said.
At around 5pm, the manager of the bar told Maclean that they “had had enough”.
He informed Maclean that he would not serve him any more alcohol and staff were also told not to serve the couple.
Maclean initially accepted this and left the pub, while Stewart remained sitting at another table.
Her boyfriend then returned half an hour later and sat back down with Stewart.
When she went up to the bar and asked for more drinks, she was refused and became “irate and confrontational” before demanding to speak to the manager.
Manager called ‘ginger p****’
The pub boss spoke to Stewart but when he wouldn’t change his mind she became “very irate” and called him a “ginger p****”.
As he asked the troublemakers to leave, Stewart pushed him away and kicked him in the shins, before Maclean heatbutted his face.
A member of the public told passing police officers what had happened and pointed out Maclean as he left the scene.
Maclean was promptly handcuffed and put in the back of a police car.
His girlfriend then approached the officers, shouting and swearing and demanding to know why her partner had been arrested.
When they explained to Stewart, she became “verbally aggressive” and then punched a male officer in the face.
A female officer tried to intervene but was also hit in the face.
‘I’m going to kill yous’
The fiscal depute said: “Maclean, who was still within the rear of the police vehicle, smashed the rear near side passenger window of the police vehicle and began to climb out of the window whilst shouting, ‘I’m going to f***ing kill yous’.”
As a policewoman tried to push him back into the vehicle, Stewart grabbed the female officer by the hair and Maclean headbutted her face.
Stewart then turned her attention to a male officer, striking and spitting at him, as the policewoman tried to wrangle her partner back into the police car.
During the struggle, Maclean headbutted the female officer’s face a second time and then bit her on the thigh.
But when Stewart attempted to join in and punch her again, the officer used an incapacitant spray, similar to pepper spray.
When Maclean – who’d been hanging out of the police car window – managed to crawl out, he was immediately taken down and restrained on the ground.
Police officers treated in hospital
When Stewart tried to kick the police officers as they disabled her boyfriend, she was then tackled and handcuffed.
Reinforcements arrived and the pair were finally taken away to the police station.
The injured female police officer was taken to hospital by ambulance after she suffered bruising and swelling to both eyes, a cut and bite mark on her thigh and a scratch to her neck.
Her male colleague also attended hospital where NHS staff examined bruising and swelling to his nose.
Defence solicitors Neil Wilson and Graham Mann, represented Stewart and Maclean respectively.
They asked Sheriff Eilidh MacDonald to call for pre-sentencing reports, which she did.
And the couple, of Cameron Place, Caol, were bailed to reappear in the dock next year.
