A Buckie woman brought Elgin Sheriff Court to a standstill by brawling with a friend after consuming seven cans of a potent drink called Dragon Soop.
Claire Stewart had attended court in support of another ally when an argument between her and Margaret McPhee turned violent.
The incident took place in the building’s foyer, but the noise was sufficiently loud to bring business in the busy courtroom to a halt.
Stewart returned to the venue yesterday, where she was ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work during the next six months.
Her lawyer said the 31-year-old’s behaviour was caused by overindulging in Dragon Soop – an alcoholic beverage that contained “twice the amount of caffeine” that energy drinks do.
The court heard that Stewart and her friend arrived at the building at 2pm on Thursday, December 15, but were soon asked to leave.
Fiscal, Alison Wylie, said: “They then had a verbal altercation in the foyer, which ended with both of them on the floor holding each other’s hair.
“This caused a disturbance, and court officers went out to separate them.”
Stewart admitted behaving in an aggressive manner by engaging in a fight at Elgin Sheriff Court, and repeatedly shouting “homophobic remarks” at police officers who later arrived.
Solicitor, Matthew O’Neill, said: “My client had consumed a significant amount of alcohol, namely Dragon Soop, which is also an energy drink.
“One tin of it is the equivalent of two tins of Red Bull, and she drank at least seven cans of that substance in Elgin town centre.
“That isn’t going to end well for anyone, and she is disgusted by her behaviour.”
He added that Stewart, of Buckie’s Milton Drive, was now taking steps to address problems with alcohol.
Sheriff Olga Pasportnikov said: “Commotion outside the court disrupts court proceedings, and delays matters significantly.”
As well as the unpaid work, Stewart must remain under supervision for six months and attend alcohol counselling.