An offshore worker was fined £600 at Inverness Sheriff Court yesterday for threatening to punch and throw petrol at police officers during a tirade of abuse.
Lorne Caldwell, of 41A Forsyth Street, Elgin, admitted behaving in a threatening and abusive manner by shouting, swearing and uttering threats of violence at Seabank Road in Nairn on December 23 last year.
Fiscal Stuart Maciver told the court that police were contacted by the ambulance service at about 9.45pm after the 45-year-old was found there, close to his home at the time, and under the influence of alcohol.
Mr Maciver said that Caldwell “took umbrage” against one officer who had dealt with him in connection with a previous court case, by shouting and swearing at him and accusing him of “ruining his life.”
Mr Maciver added: “Having been given advice to make his way home, he returned to the officer and addressed him with aggressive language.
“He then said, ‘I will go to war with the lot of you. Do you want a punch in the face?”
Mr Maciver said that Caldwell was then arrested and taken to Burnett Road police station, adding: “He continued his verbal abuse and threats in the same vein as earlier, asking officers if they wanted a punch in the face. He then said, I will petrol your face, I will haunt you.”
Defence solicitor Marc Dickson said: “He accepts with the benefit of sobriety it was a particularly unedifying episode. He accepts he was extremely intoxicated at the time and behaved in a totally unacceptable fashion.”
Caldwell works as a maintenance engineer offshore and earns £1,800 a month.
