A man who licked his hands while loading items onto a supermarket conveyer belt during the Covid-19 pandemic was apparently taking revenge on the cashier.
Liam McPhail was irritated by the fact the Asda worker had asked his partner to respect coronavirus restrictions at the height of the crisis.
McPhail, from Burntisland, appeared in court this week – almost two years after his disgusting act – charged with acting recklessly in the supermarket.
A sheriff noted the incident happened at a time when there was little treatment for the deadly virus.
‘Full licks of his hands’
Fiscal depute Catherine Stevenson told Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court the worker was not aware of what the 26-year-old was doing.
She said: “At about 5pm the accused was standing at a checkout with someone else.
“The accused lifted items from the trolley onto the belt, while the other person went to the bottom of the checkout and began to pack.
“The person packing licked her fingers to take a bag and was asked not to do so due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
“Upon hearing this, the accused then began taking full licks of his hands while continuing placing items from the trolley onto the belt.
“The accused licked his fingers several times, apparently mocking the checkout operator.
“She continued scanning the items, seemingly unaware.”
‘Childish’
The court heard, on leaving the checkout, McPhail and his partner were challenged by other staff members, causing him to swear.
McPhail’s defence agent said his actions were a “childish” response to his partner being told to stop licking her fingers.
He said: “His partner had done what a lot of people do and licked her fingers to pick up a carrier bag.
“The staff member became quite animated.
“His partner was also challenged as to why she was in the supermarket – she has an English accent and it was thought she may have travelled from down south.
“It’s certainly a childish incident on his part.
“His position is they approached him in quite a confrontational manner.
“He understands this was at the height of the pandemic, when there was no vaccine.”
Put key worker at ‘unacceptable risk’
McPhail, of Abbots View, admitted behaving in a culpable and reckless manner at the Asda store on Kirkcaldy’s Carberry Road on January 26 2021
Sheriff Paul Reid said the offence would have been treated more seriously had it come to court at the time.
He said: “At the time this offence was committed there were people incarcerated for deliberately risking key workers.
“At the time, a more serious view would have been taken.
“I think we all struggle to remember how bad it was.
“You might have thought it amusing or not particularly serious in January 2021 but it’s quite the reverse.
“It put a key worker at unacceptable risk at a time when treatment was not available.”
He ordered McPhail to carry out 30 hours of unpaid work.
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