A drunk teenager abused staff at a city centre takeaway and told them they were “immigrants” who “shouldn’t be working here”.
Katie MacPhee had been refused service by the workers at Max’s 2 in Lombard Street, Inverness, before the incident began.
She threw a bottle of water at one worker and slapped the other before police arrived and detained her.
MacPhee, 19, appeared at Inverness Sheriff Court to admit a single charge of abusive behaviour toward the retail workers on July 26 of last year.
Fiscal depute Shay Treanor told the court that it was around 10pm that MacPhee visited the city centre takeaway.
Inverness takeaway staff refused to serve teenager
He said: “The witnesses refused to serve her.”
Mr Treanor said MacPhee then began to shout at both witnesses “stating that they were immigrants and shouldn’t be working here”.
MacPhee then opened a bottle of water and began to throw the contents all around the shop, before launching it at one of the workers and then slapping the other.
She continued to shout, telling the staff: “You are all immigrants.”
Police were alerted using the Shop Safe network and officers attended at the scene, with MacPhee being detained and taken to Burnett Road Police Station.
Solicitor Clare Russell, for MacPhee, told Sheriff Gary Aitken her client had been “hanging about with a negative peer group” at the time of the crime.
She added that “alcohol had become a problem for her at that point” but conceded neither of these things was an excuse for the “unacceptable and inexcusable drunken behaviour” her client had displayed.
‘No recollection’ of abusing workers
She said MacPhee had “no recollection” of the events but had been “absolutely mortified” on learning of her behaviour – a remark to which Sheriff Gary Aitken replied: “So she should be.”
Ms Russell explained her client had since addressed her alcohol intake and binge drinking and asked the sheriff to allow MacPhee the opportunity to demonstrate she is capable of good behaviour.
Sheriff Aitken Deferred sentence for four months for that purpose, telling MacPhee it was a chance to show “that this sort of disgusting behaviour will not be repeated”.
He ordered that she remain on bail in the meantime.
