An Oban man embarked upon a drunken three-hour tirade after mistaking a piece of shop stock-taking equipment for a secret camera.
Ross Coombe became aggressive towards staff at McColls on the town’s George Street on March 1, accusing them of filming him.
He threatened one employee he would “do them” before making his way to a nearby pub and harassing a patron there.
Police later found him drunkenly stumbling down George Street, at which point he spent three hours, “pretty much without pause”, shouting and swearing abuse at them.
Coombe, 26, appeared at Oban Sheriff Court yesterday where he admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner.
Fiscal depute David Glancy said the series of events was sparked in the McColls shop at around 4.50pm.
“It appeared the accused had some issue with what he perceived to be them filming him,” Mr Glancy said.
“He was using some sort of device to do a stock check.
“When the accused was leaving the site he made another comment that he thought the member of staff was filming him, and it was explained to him again.”
Coombe then made his way to the nearby Clarendon Hotel and began to hurl abuse at the owner and patrons.
He was later seen “heavily intoxicated” and staggering, and was approached by police but “did not go quietly”.
He called the officers “rats” and a number of expletives. Later he told two of them: “I hope your wives die of cancer and your children hang themselves.”
Coombe, of Stevenson Street, will be sentenced later this week following a restriction of liberty order assessment.
