A man struggled with police until they threatened to PAVA spray him, after his wife sent him to the garden for drinking.
Arna Guazdauskas had turned to alcohol after learning his car needed an expensive repair he could not afford.
But when his wife realised he had been drinking she told him to go outside.
Police were then called, and when officers arrived, they found Guazdauskas shouting aggressively. He then struggled with them as he was arrested.
Guazdauskas appeared at Inverness Sheriff Court to admit charges of threatening behaviour and resisting arrest.
Fiscal depute Sophie Marshall told the court that it was around 10.50pm on May 25 of last year that police attended at Guazdauskas’ Balmakeith Drive home in Nairn.
Man was ‘shouting aggressively’
She said that when officers arrived, they found Guazdauskas sitting on the step and shouting aggressively in Latvian. As they approached him, he switched to English, telling them he was “going”.
One officer took him by the arm, telling him she needed to talk to him, but Guazdauskas pulled his arm away and started to shout in an aggressive manner, leading him to be arrested.
As a handcuff was applied, Guazdauskas pulled his arm above his head before pulling it down forcefully, causing the cuff to strike the officer.
He then struggled with police, despite being told numerous times to desist.
Guazdauskas was pulled to the ground, where he made continued efforts to avoid the application of a second cuff, including by keeping his arm underneath him,
Ms Marshall said: “Eventually the accused has released his right arm from underneath him after the police witness has drawn her PAVA spray, informing him that she would use it if he did not stop struggling.”
Mechanic drank over car woes
Solicitor Marc Dickson, for Guazdauskas, explained that his client – a mechanic – had turned to alcohol when he realised his family car needed a costly repair he could not afford.
Mr Dickson explained that, as a result of his drinking, Guazdauskas’ wife had asked him to sit in the garden, after which police were contacted, resulting in the subsequent incident.
He said: “He wants to apologise for that”, adding that his client was “feeling hopeless” at the time and had wanted to “be left alone”.
He said Guazdauskas had since sought support for alcohol use and was now in recovery.
Sheriff Eilidh MacDonald told him: “I can see from the way you are looking you are not terribly proud of your behaviour on that day – you are right not to be proud of that behaviour it was appalling behaviour, the police officers were just doing their job and you were violent and aggressive towards them.”
She added: “I understand the reason for that.”
She deferred sentence for six months to allow Guazdauskas to be of good behaviour.