Jail term for man who kicked off at shop staff over its Covid-19 rules

A row over a one-way system, introduced in a Rosyth shop as part of Covid-19 safety measures, has led to a jail sentence for a local man.

Andrew Dempster returned to the Co-op just days after being barred for not complying with the rules in the aisles.

When told he was banned, the 40-year-old got into another row with shop workers and ended up being arrested.

Dempster, of Alexander Place, Rosyth, appeared at Dunfermline Sheriff Court after he previously admitted acting in an aggressive manner towards a female employee on May 14 at the Co-op, Castlandhill Road.

Fiscal depute Jill Currie said: “At around 4.15pm two employees saw the accused coming into the store and they knew he had been barred four days earlier due to him not complying with the one-way system and becoming agitated when asked to do so.

“On this occasion when told he was banned, he became aggressive and raised his voice at the workers. He said they had been putting his life at risk the last time he was in the shop. He stepped towards one of the women and she had to take a step back. At that point, she asked another member of staff to phone the police. Another person who was with the accused was trying to calm him down.”

Police arrived at the shop to find one of the workers was “significantly distressed and upset” by the incident.

Defence solicitor Peter Robertson said: “He accepts he shouldn’t have been there.

“The shop had their regulations which they wanted people to stick by.

“On the previous occasion he was trying to avoid coming close to other people to keep himself safe and had skipped an aisle. He wasn’t putting others at risk and became upset.”

Jailing Dempster for three months, Sheriff Neil Bowie told him: “This was a serious matter involving shop workers having to put up with this behaviour at an already difficult time.

“You had been told you were already barred. You also have a lengthy record.”