Night that fancy dress Sgt fought real police
A Hallowe’en partygoer dressed as a police sergeant was clamped in leg restraints after a brawl with officers. Paula Davidson, 30, got so drunk at a nightclub fancy dress party that staff had to flag down a passing patrol car, a court heard yesterday.
Davidson, from Auchterarder, Perthshire, was yesterday found guilty of struggling violently with police officers at The Loft nightclub, in Perth, last October.
Sergeant Mark Gilchrist, 38, told Perth’s Justice of the Peace Court: ‘She was wearing a fancy dress police uniform with sergeant’s stripes. She was slurring heavily and was slumped against the wall.
‘It was Hallowe’en, which I presume is why she was dressed as she was. She was intoxicated.
‘I encouraged her to leave but she refused to do so. It was quite loud so I had to get quite close to her. I got abuse and she told me she wouldn’t leave.’
He tried to help her up. ‘She became very aggressive, lashing out with her arms and shouting,’ he said.
‘She was waving her arms and flailing around. She was incredibly wriggly and I couldn’t get a grip of her hands so she was taken to the ground and handcuffed. She managed to slip her hands from the handcuffs.
‘Two other officers arrived and we managed to get her into handcuffs and leg restraints.’
Fiscal depute Lisa Marshall said the officers were flagged down and tried to get her safely on her way. ‘She was given ample opportunity to do that,’ she said.
JP Allan Robertson told Davidson: ‘It is plain to see alcohol has played a big part in what’s happened here. You were given a reasonable request to remove yourself.
‘You were being assisted and you refused and therefore I find you guilty.’
He deferred sentence for four months for her to be of good behaviour.
‘Encouraged her to leave’