Inverness man spat on police officer then kicked second officer in the neck
A 26-year-old Inverness man was warned that he could have been jailed for 18 months during the Covid lockdown for spitting in the face of a police officer.
Reece Taylor, of Telford Road, was appearing for sentence at Inverness Sheriff Court after he admitted two charges of police assault, committed on February 11.
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Fiscal depute Adele Gray told Sheriff Gary Aitken that officers had cause to arrest Taylor on an unrelated matter at Lauder's Bar and were taking him to their police van.
She said: "He asked why he was being arrested and then spat on the face of one of the officers, hitting his mouth. Force was used to get him in the van's cage and he struck a second officer in the throat with his right foot."
Defending, David Patterson said his client regretted his actions and was getting his life back in order. "But he needs some kind of intervention to support him,” he added. “He is remorseful."
Sheriff Aitken decided against jailing Taylor despite his record of previous convictions but ordered him to carry out the maximum 300 hours of unpaid community work.
He was also placed under two years of social work supervision with a review of his progress in three months’ time.
The sheriff told Taylor's lawyer: "If he had been stupid enough to do it during lockdown, he would have been looking at 18 months in jail."
Then he addressed Taylor: "You are very close to where custody is inevitable. Behaviour of this kind is despicable. Breach this order and it's jail."
