A couple who kicked off with police after being refused service in a Fort William pub have been ordered to complete unpaid work in the community.
Robert Maclean had already assaulted the bar manager at The Great Glen pub and been placed in a police car when his girlfriend, Melissa Stewart, began struggling with officers, punching one in the face.
He then smashed his way out of the vehicle shouting “I’m going to f***ing kill yous!” before headbutting and biting a female officer.
The pair appeared for sentencing at Inverness Sheriff Court.
Stewart previously admitted two counts of assault and one of assault to injury, while Maclean pled guilty to two counts of assault to injury and a vandalism charge.
At a previous hearing fiscal depute Martina Eastwood told the court that the couple had entered Wetherspoon’s pub at around 1pm on December 23 2021 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.
Bar manger refused to serve drunk couple
At around 5pm, the manager of the bar told Maclean that they “had had enough”.
He said he would not serve him more alcohol and relayed this message to staff.
Maclean initially accepted this and left the pub, while Stewart remained sitting at another table.
But half an hour later he returned and sat back down with his partner.
She then went to the bar in search of more drinks. When she was denied them she became “irate and confrontational” and demanded to speak to the manager.
When he wouldn’t change his mind Stewart became “very irate” and called him a “ginger p****”.
After being asked to leave Stewart pushed the manager and kicked him in the shins, before Maclean headbutted his face.
‘I’m going to kill yous’
A witness flagged down passing police officers and pointed out Maclean, who was handcuffed and put into a police vehicle.
At this point Stewart approached officers, shouting, swearing and demanding to know why Maclean had been detained before becoming “verbally aggressive” and punching a male officer in the face. A female officer who tried to intervene was also struck in the face.
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’.”
An officer tried to push him back into the vehicle, Stewart grabbed her hair and Maclean headbutted her face.
Stewart then struck a male officer and spat at him, as the policewoman tried to push Maclean back into the police vehicle, after which he headbutted her face again before biting her on the thigh.
Police sprayed woman to end fracas
The incident came to an end when an officer deployed a pepper-type spray to bring Stewart under control and Maclean, who had by this point freed himself from the vehicle, was restrained to the ground.
The female police officer suffered bruising and swelling to both eyes, a cut and bite mark on her thigh and a scratch to her neck.
Her male colleague had bruising and swelling to his nose. Both were treated in hospital.
Defence solicitors Neil Wilson and Graham Mann represented Stewart and Maclean respectively.
Mr Wilson said his client had “made some very poor choices”, adding: “Whilst she may have been very drunk this was no excuse for how she acted.”
‘They had had far more to drink than anticipated’
He added that Stewart was “thoroughly ashamed and very sorry”.
Mr Mann said his client was a man with a good work ethic who had also been under the influence at the time of the offences.
He said: “He hadn’t been out with his partner for a long time. They had had far more to drink than anticipated.
“He describes looking out of the police vehicle and seeing a number of police around his partner and she was screaming.
“He makes no excuse but that is his explanation for it.”
Sheriff Matheson placed both on community payback orders, requiring Stewart to complete 180 hours of unpaid work and Maclean 210.
