Inverness offender ‘joked’ about fighting with police
A man with a bad criminal record joked about fighting with police after he recognised one of the officers from a previous encounter.
But Sheriff David Harvie was not amused when Jonathan Sinclair (39) of Gilbert Court, Inverness, appeared before him from custody and admitted conducting himself in a disorderly manner.
Inverness Sheriff Court was told that officers had been called to a disturbance in Dunabban Street, although Sinclair was not involved.
Fiscal depute Sharon Ralph said: "He was under the influence and adopted a fighting stance and was smashing two cans off a table.
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He lunged at one officer, then backed off and left through a back door. He was pursued and arrested but continued to joke about fighting with the police while in his cell, saying it would be 'for old time's sake’."
Defending, Graham Mann told the sheriff: "It was a misplaced sense of fun. He was not involved in the disturbance which brought the police to the accommodation. He recognised one of the officers as he had encountered him before.”
Mr Mann added: "He has a long history of alcohol and drug abuse."
Sheriff Harvie noted that the offence was committed on April 26 this year, and Sinclair was on early release from a prison sentence.
"I regard this as at the lower end of the scale and there does not seem a lot of point in sending you back to jail,” he said. “This was sheer stupidity."
He ordered Sinclair to carry out 60 hours of unpaid community work.
