Man’s indecent offence at police station

A 20-YEAR- OLD man from Fort William has been placed on the sex offenders’ register and is the subject of social reports.

Igor Sliwinski appeared before Sheriff Eilidh MacDonald on Friday at the town’s sheriff court and admitted throwing salt at a police officer and biting him; repeatedly spitting on another officer and engaging in an indecent offence while in a cell at Fort William Police station.

Procurator fiscal Martina Eastwood told the court officers were called to the flat where Sliwinski’s mother was living in the town on May 25 last year as he had been causing a disturbance outside.

He refused to leave the property, was agitated and when more police arrived he threw a handful of white powder from a bag - later found to be salt - which hit an officer in the face and body before running off. A 20-minute chase ensued and Sliwinski was only stopped when two tourists, who happened to be off- duty police officers from England on holiday, saw him being pursued and helped stop him.

In the scuffle which followed, an officer was bitten on the hand so hard that it broke the skin and he had to have a Hepatitis B vaccination.

While in the cell at Fort William, Sliwinski used the buzzer to summon an officer and on her arrival he spat at her, covering her face and body armour.

‘He then began to misuse the water tap and as a result had to be given a paper overall,’ said the fiscal.

This was also soaked and he stripped off, used the buzzer to summon an officer again and this time committed the indecent act in front of her.

Sliwinski also admitted he had breached one of the conditions of an earlier com- munity payback order by not showing up for unpaid work in the community on one occasion.

His defence agent Hamish Melrose said: ‘He is a young man who has received latterly very little support from his family. He lives on his own and has been through a number of homeless accommodation addresses.’

At present he is living at 4 Cameron Terrace, Mary Street, Fort William. It was this reason, his agent said, that Sliwinski failed to appear for the unpaid work; the letter informing him had not reached the correct address.

Sheriff MacDonald told Sliwinski he was being placed on the sexual offences register and that she was calling for community justice and social work reports before she decided what his sentence would be. The case will call again on July 18.