TRIALS at one of Scotland’s busiest courts had to be halted last week after a prisoner allegedly covered himself in excrement while he was waiting in the cell complex.

Hearings at Edinburgh Sheriff Court – where East Lothian cases are heard – were postponed for about three hours after the unnamed remand prison was said to have carried out the dirty protest at about 8am last Wednesday.

The man is claimed to have daubed the walls of his cell with excrement before rubbing it on his head and face after being brought to the Capital court from HMP Edinburgh.

The 70-year-old prisoner is then alleged to have thrown lumps of muck at disgusted security staff and used racist language within the cell complex area.

A specialist cleaning team were subsequently drafted in by court officials to carry out a thorough clean-up of the area.

A source said: “The man was brought into the court building early in the morning last Wednesday after being picked up from prison in a van.

“He was then placed within a cell downstairs and was waiting on his turn to appear in court when it is believed he carried out this disgusting act.

“It is difficult enough for court staff to deal with prisoners but to have go through something like that is pretty grim.

“Some hearings had to be put off for a short time and other prisoners had to be put off being brought into court until the specialist cleaning firm had been brought in to do a thorough clean-up of the whole area.”

A Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service spokesperson said: “We can confirm an incident occurred within the cell complex of Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, which required the attendance of specialist cleaning services.”

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “A 70-year-old man has been reported to the Procurator Fiscal following reckless behaviour and a hate crime incident which happened within the cell area of Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Chambers Street, Edinburgh, on Wednesday, March 6, 2024.”