A 38-year-old Kirkcaldy woman has admitted repeatedly biting a paramedic on the hand to her injury.
Alana Thomson, of Blackcraigs, appeared at the town’s sheriff court to admit the offence, which took place at Station Park, Lower Largo, on June 29 2021.
Sheriff Timothy Niven-Smith deferred sentencing on Thomson until December 8 to obtain a background report.
Thomson’s bail was continued meantime.
‘Murder victim’s’ secret recordings
A Perthshire woman allegedly murdered by her husband made a series of secret recordings of him in the months leading up to her death, a court has heard. The audio tapes were played to jurors at the murder trial of John Lizanec who is accused of killing wife Michelle at their marital home in Inchture. He denies murder.
Abused 999 operators
A Fife man who abused emergency call handlers as he repeatedly called 999 without need has been given a structured deferred sentence.
James Whitelaw, 49, previously pled guilty to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner on the evening of September 22 this year.
Prosecutor Brogan Moffat told Dunfermline Sheriff Court intoxicated Whitelaw – having drunk a bottle of wine and four cans of lager – called 999 from his home at around 8.20pm to raise concerns about a family member and officers traced them safe and well.
The fiscal depute said Whitelaw, of Chapel Street, High Valleyfield, was advised of this but “continued to call 999 a further seven times”.
He was told by call handlers they had dealt with his initial inquiry but he pestering them.
The fiscal continued: “He became abusive to call handlers, calling them a***holes and c***s and telling them to f**k off, and that it’s ‘none of their f***ing business’ in relation to their questions”.
Whitelaw also stated he was going to take his own life if police did not help him.
A short time later police attended and he said the threat to kill himself was made out of frustration.
He was warned about the improper use of the number and that he would be arrested if it continued.
The fiscal added: “Within ten minutes of officers leaving, the accused called 999 a further twice in the same course of conduct”.
Defence lawyer Adam Scott said his client has suffered from poor mental health and recognises alcohol misuse as the problem and is making efforts to address this.
Sheriff Craig McSherry placed him on a three-month structured deferred sentence, adding: “If you were to breach this and appear again I would have no hesitation in imprisoning you”
Whitelaw previously admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by repeatedly contacting emergency services without a legitimate need to do so, shouting, swearing and uttering abusive remarks to emergency call handlers, and failing to desist in making calls after warning by police officers.
Illegal Xbox
A cocaine mule who once smuggled £10 million of drugs in a lorry full of Belgian waffles has admitted having an Xbox with illegal internet access in Perth Prison. Ellis Hardy appeared by video link at Perth Sheriff Court to plead guilty to having the adapted console in his cell.
Banned driver caught again
A Dundee man narrowly avoided prison after driving his partner’s car while disqualified.
Robert Burns, 37, was caught by police in a layby outside the Perthshire hamlet of Calvine, behind the wheel of his girlfriend’s car in March this year.
He admitted driving while disqualified and without insurance at Perth Sheriff Court and was banned for five years.
Sheriff Jennifer Bain KC also sentenced Burns, of Craigie Drive, Dundee, to 200 hours community service, reduced from 300 in light of his plea.
This was a direct alternative to custody.
Guilty of murder
Fife tradesman David Barnes has been found guilty of murdering Kinglassie 60-year-old Ean Coutts. A jury agreed he killed Mr Coutts and then used a wheelie bin to move his body to an industrial estate in Glenrothes, where he set fire to it. It lay for a year before being discovered and police struggled to identify the remains.
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