Solicitor says homeless Inverness man had excuse to be outdoors during coronavirus lockdown
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A solicitor criticised the police and the recently resigned Chief Medical Officer after telling a sheriff his client had a reasonable excuse to defy the "stay at home" instructions.
Inverness lawyer Neil Wilson was appearing at Inverness Sheriff Court acting for 51-year-old homeless man Robert Stasiak, who had been arrested for begging in Inverness city streets on Saturday and yesterday.
He told Sheriff Eilidh Macdonald, after saying his client was pleading not guilty: "He lives by begging. It seems as if there is one law for the Chief Medical Officer and another for the poor and desperate."
Stasiak, a Polish national, spoke with the help of an interpreter to confirm he was denying a charge of contravening Regulation 5 of the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) by repeatedly sitting outside in Inverness High Street and Church Street without reasonable excuse and to beg. The emergency legislation was introduced last week.
Stasiak, who gave a home of multiple occupancy in Union Street, Inverness as his address, also denied throwing a can of urine at a police constable and striking him on the body with it yesterday.
He also pleaded not guilty to repeatedly spitting on police custody and security officers in Burnett Road Police Station.
Stasiak spent a night in police cells before being taken to the Inverness Justice Centre this morning, hours after it was announced that Chief Medical Officer, Dr Catherine Calderwood had resigned from her post.
She had been warned by police about defying her own regular advice to social distance and remain indoors by visiting for holiday home in Fife this weekend and last weekend.
Stasiak was released on bail by Sheriff Macdonald.
An intermediate diet was fixed for August 11 to establish the preparedness for trial of both the prosecution and defence. Trial was fixed for September 7.
