A Fife man who told a 999 call handler a takeaway delivery driver was going to “get his head shot off” during a racist rant has been given a community payback order.
Leon Shepstone said he would be “kicking the f**k out of that p*ki little b*****d” if police did not show up within 10 minutes.
He claimed he would go to the Peri-Licious takeaway in Cardenden and “start stabbing people”.
Dunfermline Sheriff Court heard previously Shepstone, 36, had been involved in an “altercation” with the delivery driver, his partner had been arrested and he initially called police to allege an assault on him.
Shepstone, of Dundonald, Cardenden, appeared in the dock for sentencing after earlier pleading guilty to a racially aggravated offence of improper use of the 999 network on November 29 2023.
He was originally due to be sentenced in November but the case was delayed several times, including to obtain GP reports.
Abusive calls
Prosecutor Larissa Milligan told the court previously there was an “altercation” between Shepstone and a delivery driver at his home.
Details were not given in court but police were contacted and arrested Shepstone’s partner.
He began to make 999 calls.
The fiscal depute said the initial purpose of the call was to apparently report being assaulted by the takeaway driver but Shepstone appeared to be displeased with the response and became more aggressive.
Ms Milligan said in one of the calls Shepstone ranted: “You best send a copper to my house, or you will be going to Peri-Licious and you will be picking me up there.
“I am not being assaulted by some p*ki b*****d that thinks he can assault me outside my house”.
During the next call, Shepstone said: “That p*ki b*****d is going to get his head shot off”.
In the next call he stated he was going to “go to Peri-Licious” to start stabbing people”.
Later in the call, Shepstone said: “You either come to my house in the next five to 10 minutes or you will be picking me up outside Peri-Licious, where I will be kicking the f**k out of that p*ki little b*****d.
“So, get to my f***ing house the now.”
‘Not getting change’ claim
When police later cautioned and charged Shepstone, he replied it was not misuse of the 999 system because: “I tried to make my complaint – you did not do your job properly”.
Following the guilty plea in October, defence lawyer Aime Allan said first offender Shepstone had become increasingly irritated as he felt his complaint was not being taken seriously.
In court this week, Sheriff Kirsta Johnston noted Shepstone’s mitigation in a social work report is he was “not getting any change and fell out with the delivery man”.
Defence lawyer Amy Harley agreed with this and pointed out there was a lot of alcohol involved.
Sheriff Johnston told Shepstone: “This is 2025 – you don’t insult people and you certainly don’t insult them in this aggravated and offensive manner”.
The sheriff gave him 100 hours of unpaid work as part of a six-month community payback order.
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