A TRANENT man has been ordered to carry out unpaid work in the community after admitting damaging his car and resisting arrest.

Douglas Ritchie was stopped by police on an unrelated matter at Linkfield Road in Musselburgh and began to act in a threatening or abusive manner.

Ritchie threatened to set fire to his vehicle while in possession of a lighter before he jumped up onto the bonnet.

The 34-year-old repeatedly stamped on the windscreen, causing damage, and shouted and swore at the officers.

Ritchie, of Muirpark Grove, then resisted arrest, refused to hand over his car keys and threw the keys away onto a grass verge.

He also pulled away from the two officers, causing all three to fall to the ground, and refused to allow handcuffs to be applied.

He was placed face down on the ground during the fracas on June 3, 2019, and was subsequently arrested and charged.

Pleaded guilty

Ritchie pleaded guilty to the two offences and was at Edinburgh Sheriff Court last Tuesday for sentencing.

Solicitor Graeme Clark said that his client “accepted his behaviour was unacceptable” but felt that the police officers had been “heavy-handed” during the arrest procedure.

Ritchie was said to have “felt aggrieved” how the police had treated him, which resulted in him behaving aggressively towards them.

Mr Clarke said that Ritchie was a mechanic and was due to start a new position within the next couple of weeks.

Sheriff Matthew Auchincloss marked the offences by placing Ritchie on a community payback order where he will have to complete a total of 150 hours of unpaid work.