A foul-mouthed Aberdeen man who alarmed funeral mourners when he faked a seizure outside a church to avoid arrest has been jailed.
Adrian Pearson, 59, appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and admitted 17 separate charges, including violent assault, vile derogatory abuse and making threats to kill.
Pearson also headbutted a complete stranger on a bus and kicked a police officer so hard it left a boot print on his head.
Upon being sentenced to a year in prison, Pearson tried to flee the dock and screamed at a sheriff: “I’ll die in there!”
Sheriff Mungo Bovey told him a jail sentence was the “only option open” to the court.
Funeral mourners ‘visibly distressed’
Fiscal depute Eabha Sweeney told the court that on the afternoon of March 29 last year, the police were called after Pearson had been verbally abusive to staff at both Starbucks and Pret a Manger on Union Street.
Officers traced him outside Gilcolmston Church where there was “a large funeral being conducted within”.
“The accused threw himself down onto the pavement as members of the funeral party were preparing to leave,” Ms Sweeney said.
“He saw them and started rolling around on the pavement claiming he was having a seizure and would not desist.”
Ms Sweeney added that upon seeing Pearson, “visibly distressed” mourners had to be moved back inside the church.
It was also stated that Pearson also made threats to kill a couple who were taking a stroll near his home, telling them: “I’m going to f****** kill you.”
He pleaded guilty to a total of 17 charges, which included assault, threatening or abusive behaviour and uttering threats of violence between March 2021 and January this year.
‘Couldn’t headbutt his way out of a paper bag’
Defence agent Pete Keane described his client as “a chronic alcoholic” and “a street drunk” who suffers from mental and physical health difficulties.
He added: “The social work report reveals his attitude to all these offences – some of which he is in denial about, particularly the headbutt.
“He told me he couldn’t headbutt his way out of a paper bag and he fell into someone.
“The position here is that Mr Pearson knows that his alcohol consumption leads to further offending.
“We need to get to the bottom of why this man is continuing to cause a nuisance.”
Sheriff Mungo Bovey pointed out to Pearson, Balnagask Circle, Aberdeen, that headbutting someone could not be described as “an accident incident”.
He added: “It seems that a lengthy custodial sentence is the only option open to me.”
As his 12-month jail sentence was read out, Pearson burst into loud sobs, violently struggled with security guards and screamed at the sheriff that he “wasn’t putting up with it”.
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