Fife man jailed for coughing at police

AFife man who coughed at police officers after they asked him if he had any Covid-19 symptoms has been jailed for 20 months.

Jamie McAllister, 32, from Dunfermline, admitted assaulting officers who attended a report of a disturbance at Jennie Rennies Road in the town on May 5 by deliberately coughing at them.

McAllister, who appeared via video link at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court from Low Moss Prison, also admitted seriously assaulting a man at an address in Izatt Avenue on May 21 by dragging him by the body, sitting astride him and repeatedly punching and striking him on the head and body.

The court previously heard police had been called to Jennie Rennies Road at around 7.15am on the morning of May 5 and arrived to find McAllister standing topless at the top of the cul-de-sac and bleeding from his hand.

When a female officer tried to establish if McAllister had any Covid symptoms, he deliberately coughed towards her and did so again before being taken to Dunfermline Police Station.

Fiscal Ronnie Hay said McAllister’s temperature was taken at the station and he was not found to be displaying any signs of Covid-19.

The court heard McAllister had been walking in a communal garden in Izatt Avenue at around 5.30pm on May 21 when he struck up a conversation with a man and the pair had some alcohol together.

“Once inside the house, he had a number of drinks and the atmosphere was jovial,” Mr Hay said.

However, after McAllister walked the man back home, the pair ended up in an argument and McAllister committed the assault.

Defence solicitor Chris Sneddon revealed McAllister’s father had been murdered in Glenochil Prison in 2018, which had a “significant impact” on him.

In relation to the assault in Izatt Avenue , Mr Sneddon said his client had “snapped” after his drinking partner repeatedly called him by his father’s name.

“He was under a great deal of stress and while custody has been terribly difficult for him, it’s given him a chance to reflect on his behaviour,” Mr Sneddon said.

Mr Sneddon also suggested his client had been “some distance” from the police officers.

But Sheriff James Williamson jailed McAllister for a total of 20 months, telling him: “The danger presented by your behaviour is all too obvious and utterly intolerable.”

“He was under a great deal of stress