A drunken chef threw a deep fat fryer across a kitchen of a Highland hotel during an argument with staff, a court has heard.
Guy Stannard had just returned from the pub when he hurled the appliance across the shared employee kitchen at the Onich Hotel.
He later swung a punch at a coworker and missed, then tried to bite a police officer who came to deal with the incident.
Stannard, 42, appeared from custody at Inverness Sheriff Court to admit charges of assault against the coworker and officer, as well as failing to appear at an earlier hearing.
Fiscal depute Shamielah Ghafar told the court it was around 5pm on May 25 of last year when Stannard returned to the Onich Hotel after visiting a local pub.
Hotel chef was ‘heavily intoxicated’
“The accused was heavily intoxicated,” she said.
The court heard that Stannard then began to throw items around the shared employee kitchen, including chucking a deep fat fryer into the sink area.
When he refused to calm down police were called and Stannard agreed to retire to his room – only to reemerge at 10.10pm and enter the bar and restaurant area.
Ms Ghafar said Stannard initially requested a food order but then began to complain to coworkers about the police having been contacted.
Punch ‘failed to connect’
When one urged him to leave the restaurant he asked them: “Do you want me to punch you in the face?” and then swung a punch that “failed to connect”.
When police arrived and attempted to handcuff Stannard he told one officer “I’m just going to bite you, you nasty b****” before making two attempts to bite the female officer’s hand.
Solicitor Rory Gowans, for Stannard, told the court that his client was a self-employed contractor chef who had been employed at the hotel at the time.
He told the court the incident was precipitated by a “degree of ill feeling” due to certain issues at his workplace.
Mr Gowans added: “It is clear he behaved in the manner libelled and he wishes to apologise for that.”
Sheriff Sarah Matheson fined Stannard £840.
