A sheriff has branded the behaviour of a drunk Fife woman who spat in the face of a police officer as “disgusting” – and warned she will face time behind bars should she be back before the courts.
Samantha Tait, of Orkney Place, Kirkcaldy, previously admitted spitting in the face of PC Ryan Taylor at Dunfermline Police Station on May 14 after convincing officers to remove her spit hood claiming she needed to go to the toilet.
Tait, 25, had been arrested earlier in the evening when she tried to spit at another officer, PC Stewart Burnside, who was responding to another matter in Kirkcaldy’s Miller Street.
Appearing for sentencing at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court, Sheriff James Williamson put her on a community payback order consisting of 18 months’ supervision and 200 hours of unpaid work to be done within 12 months.
She was also placed on an electronic tagging order for a period of four months, but Sheriff Williamson left her in no doubt that any breach would see her put in prison for a minimum of a year-and-a-half.
“Your behaviour was disgusting and frankly dangerous to the officers involved,” he told Tait.
“If you breach this order in any way, when you come back to court you are going to go to prison for 18 months.
“There will be no second opportunity.”
Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court had previously heard how a number of officers had been called to Miller Street in relation to another matter when they were confronted by Tait at around 11.45pm.
After she narrowly missed PC Burnside, a spit hood was put on her and she was put in the back of a marked police van and taken to the police station.
At about 1.45am, while she was waiting to be processed, Tait asked to use the toilet.
Thinking she had calmed down, the officers removed the spit hood, only for Tait to spit in PC Taylor’s face.
Defence solicitor Christine Hagan said her client had previously had her problems with alcohol misuse, and another relapse had been the precursor to what happened on the night in question.
