A MAN who threatened to spit on police officers as they attempted to arrest him has been fined.

Ross Douglas shouted and swore at the constables after they had been called out to deal with his drunken behaviour at his home at North Bank Road, Prestonpans.

Douglas, 21, also punched, kicked and headbutted the inside of a police vehicle as he was being ferried to an Edinburgh police station.

Fiscal depute India McLean told Edinburgh Sheriff Court that police officers had cause to attend at Douglas’s home shortly after midnight on June 11, 2020.

Ms McLean said that Douglas soon “became aggressive towards them” and the officers were forced to arrest him due to his unruly behaviour.

As Douglas was being taken towards a waiting police van, he began shouting and swearing at the constables and was seen to be kicking and headbutting the inside of the vehicle.

The fiscal told the court that during the course of the journey to St Leonard’s Police Station, Douglas continued to act aggressively and threatened to spit at the officers.

He was deemed too aggressive to be processed at the station and officers were forced to place leg restraints on him to stop him lashing out.

The court heard that he was placed in an observation cell where he continued to shout and swear.

'Significant amount of drink'

Lawyer Joe Boyd said that police had been called out initially due to his client and his now ex-partner having an argument.

Mr Boyd said that both parties had consumed “a significant amount of drink” during the course of the evening which “ultimately resulted in police being called to attend”.

Mr Boyd said that a combination of Douglas having ADHD and severe anxiety coupled with the alcohol had led to his client acting in the manner described to the court.

The solicitor added that Douglas could not remember much about the incident or his behaviour during the journey to the police station.

The court heard that the couple had since split up following the “volatile relationship”.

Mr Boyd added that Douglas was currently attempting to “make ardent strides towards bettering his life” and had recently secured employment as a full-time bin man with East Lothian Council.

Sheriff Peter McCormack sentenced Douglas to pay a fine of £290.

Douglas pleaded guilty to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner, shouting, swearing, acting in an aggressive manner towards police officers, threatening to spit on them and striking the inside of a police vehicle on June 6, 2020.