A man told a policeman “Go back to your country” then assaulted him before spitting in another officer’s face.
Police had been called after Darren Kennedy tried to fight a man who had asked him to keep the noise down while he was visiting a friend.
Kennedy, 29, made the racist comment during a journey to the police station and on arrival told the officer: “You’re Polish you probably don’t understand.”
Kennedy appeared via videolink from custody at Inverness Sheriff Court to admit charges of threatening or abusive behaviour, acting in a racially aggravated manner, assault and culpable or reckless behaviour.
Noise complaint sparks incident
Fiscal depute Robert Weir said the incident had started on the evening of December 17 last year when Kennedy was visiting a friend in Fingal Road, Dingwall.
“At 9.24pm the witness, who was laying flooring in a neighbouring property, approached the accused and requested that he keep the noise down,” he said.
Just over half an hour later, the man went outside again and Kennedy put his beer down on a fence before approaching aggressively and challenging the man to a fight.
The incident was captured on CCTV and police were called.
At 2.25am the following day officers attended and Kennedy was arrested and taken in a police vehicle to Burnett Road Police Station.
‘Go back to your country’
During the journey, Kennedy made a racial remark to one of the officers stating: “You are Polish, go back to your country.”
Kennedy also told the officer that “he did not wish to be held by him as he was Polish”.
He was then placed in a cell and kept under observation. When he took off his T-shirt and put it around his neck officers entered the cell to intervene and he began aggressively walking toward the officer.
As a result, he was placed on the mattress at which point he attempted to kick and bite the officer.
He then approached a second officer and shouted in such a way that spittle landed on the policeman’s face.
Defence solicitor Marc Dickson acknowledged that the accused had a “poor record” and said that there were “difficulties in relation to Mr Kennedy’s mental health and emotional health at that time”.
Sheriff Gary Aitken deferred sentencing on Kennedy, who is currently in custody, for the production of reports, the case will call again next month.
