Alness shoplifter spat at police officer who arrested him
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Police were subjected to a tirade of abuse and one officer was spat at when they arrested a 30 year old shoplifter in Alness.
Shaun MacLeod had not long been released from a prison sentence and had stopped taking his medication for a mental health condition, Inverness Sheriff Court was told.
But defence solicitor advocate Shahid Latif said MacLeod's attempt to live life without the medication failed and he was now back on it.
MacLeod, who had been remanded in custody since the day after the incident on August 9 this year, appeared before Sheriff Robert Frazer and admitted stealing 10 tins of lager from the Co-op store in Alness, behaving in a threatening, homophobic and abusive manner towards police and spitting twice on an officer's shoes.
Procurator Fiscal Alison Young told the court that police handcuffed MacLeod and, as he was being led to a police vehicle, he swore at them.
"He continued to be truculent and had to be restrained to the ground," she said.
Mr Latif said: "He was handcuffed despite not being officially informed that he was being arrested, but his reaction was disproportionate and criminal."
MacLeod was jailed by Sheriff Robert Frazer for 10 months backdated to August 10.
