Supervision order after threatening pub staff

A man was placed on a supervision order for one year and ordered to do 80 hours of unpaid work after admitting threatening violence and damage to property, as well as attempting to bite a police officer.

Gary Wallace, who was described as having issues with alcohol and mental health problems, appeared at Fort William Sheriff Court last week.

Wallace, who appeared from custody, had pleaded guilty that on September 4 this year at a pub in Fort William, he had behaved in a threatening or abusive manner likely to cause fear and alarm in that he uttered threats of violence against people and property.

Wallace, 45, of no fixed abode, also admitted assaulting a police officer by attempting to bite him on the arm at Fort William Police Station on September 5.

Procurator Fiscal Robert Weir told the court the incident had occurred at around 10.30pm and the pub staff had formed the view Wallace was under the influence of alcohol. They asked Wallace to leave and he had become aggressive, saying he was going to come back and burn the place down and that he would hunt the staff down and ‘deal’ with them.

Mr Weir continued: ‘As a result he was told to leave again and he did so, telling staff he was going to ‘take their heads off’. Because of what he said to staff the police were contacted and the accused was traced and arrested a short time later.

‘It was while he was being searched that he tried to bite a police officer on the arm.’

Defence agent Catriona Rowantree said Wallace had accepted his behaviour in the pub would have upset people: ‘He is remorseful. He’d had a difficult day and had turned to alcohol for solace.’

Sentencing Wallace, Sheriff Eilidh MacDonald told him: ‘This was extremely unpleasant and was committed while you were already on licence. I have taken into account you have spent some time on remand already.’