Two custody officers were badly injured after being violently attacked by a prisoner.
A female worker was grabbed by the ear and repeatedly punched at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court while a male colleague required a vaccination and blood tests after being bitten.
The attacks on the two GEOAmey workers were carried out by 21-year-old Andrew Smith, who has now been jailed for the offences.
Smith, whose record of previous convictions was described as “atrocious”, became angry outside the court building and became aggressive with the security staff.
Smith, a prisoner at Perth, admitted that on August 20 at South Fergus Place, Kirkcaldy, he assaulted a man, then in the course of his employment, by biting him on the body. He also admitted assaulting a woman by seizing her ear and repeatedly punching her on the head.
Depute fiscal Claire Bremner said Smith was being moved from the court to a van to take him to prison after he was remanded.
Four officers were involved in trying to get Smith into the vehicle. He was put down to the ground at one point and all the time he was handcuffed to the male officer.
Once he was in the van Smith jumped up and seized the ear of the female officer “in a tight hold”. She then felt three blows to her head and three to her ear.
He shouted he was going to “have them” and also made the threat: “I’m going to bite you.”
Smith then moved towards the man with his head down and bit him in the chest, causing a bleeding wound. He later went to hospital and was given a hepatitis B booster vaccination and was advised to return for more blood tests.
Defence solicitor Kerr Sneddon said that “it’s not good to put it mildly,” but claimed his client is “quite a nice character when sober and clean from drugs”.
He added: “He realises now that the custody officers were just doing their job that day.”
Sheriff Alastair Brown told Smith his record was “atrocious and includes violence”. He jailed him for two years and four months.
