Ex-Iraq vet fined as bottle hit cop on face

An off-duty police officer had stitches inserted in a wound to his face after he was struck by a bottle in a Perth city centre bar.

PC David Rice was given first aid at The Loft before he went to Perth Royal Infirmary.

There, it was discovered he had sustained a half-inch cut to his left cheek and had three paper stitches inserted in the wound, Perth Sheriff Court was told.

Thirty-two-year-old Richard Scroggie, said to suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after two tours of duty with the military in Iraq, was fined £800 - and ordered to pay £200 compensation - when he appeared for sentence this week.

He also had a Restriction of Liberty Order imposed for a second drinkfuelled attack on another officer in Dundee’s Seagate.

He will be‘tagged’and confined to his home, between 9pm and 7am, for the next 10 weeks.

Passing sentence, Sheriff William Wood told him is was his“last chance” to avoid a jail term.

If there were any further offences involving violence, he could“expect a custodial sentence.”

Scroggie admitted that on March 12 this year, at the South Street bar, he struck Mr Rice with a bottle, to his injury.

He also pled guilty to punching PC Marc Wilson on the head, to his injury, on July 9.

Depute fiscal Carol Whyte said that the off-duty officer had been attending a staff party with a number of friends.

They arrived at The Loft about 12.30am and were standing close to a spiral staircase which leads to the VIP bar.

A fight broke out a short distance away and the constable“felt a hard blow”to the left side of his face.

“He realised he was injured and and bleeding and went to receive first aid for the cut.

“A short time later the accused told the complainer’s friend that he had thrown the bottle.”

CCTV was reviewed and Scroggie was later interviewed.

“He said he had thrown the bottle intending it to strike the person who was attacking his friend.

“But instead the bottle struck the complainer,”added the fiscal.

The Dundee incident took place as officers responded to what had been“a large-scale fight.”

As they tried to calm things down, the accused lashed out at the officer, causing bruising and swelling to his eye.

Solicitor Mike Tavendale said“His actions at the time were wholly unacceptable and he’s in a position to pay compensation.”

He had subsequently received assistance to tackle his combat stress problem.

Scroggie had felt aggrieved after he and his wife had been subjected to a “violent assault”in Dundee in the early hours.

That left him with a scar to his forehead and nose but the accused claimed police“let the other person simply walk away.”

Scroggie, now of Byron Crescent, Dundee, will pay the financial penalties at the rate of £300 a month.