A fare dodger who spat on a train conductor who confronted him has avoided jail.
Sam Goddard spat at the Scotrail worker on the train before turning his aggression on British Transport Police officers who were called to meet him at Aberdeen railway station.
The 27-year-old, from Dundee, refused to stump up for his ticket on the Abellio Scotrail service from his home city to Aberdeen on July 17 2020.
Fiscal depute Kiral Bonavino told Aberdeen Sheriff Court how Goddard had been on the train at around 6am and was sitting in a rear cabin on his own.
He said another passenger entered the carriage and witnessed Goddard becoming aggressive.
‘Spit landed on jacket’
“Essentially, he spat at one of the witnesses and this was corroborated by CCTV which showed the spit landing on their jacket,” the fiscal added.
“Officers met him at the train on arrival in Aberdeen and he was traced. He was found to be aggressive and evasive and initially denied the assault before swabs were taken from him.”
Defence agent William Watt said his client has an “unenviable record” which included a similar offence that “predated this one”.
“It has been explained to him how abhorrent this offence is and that it is certainly made worse during Covid times,” Mr Watt told the court.
‘Abhorrent’ behaviour
“He tells me this sort of behaviour is all down to substance abuse and that makes it worse.
“He served ten-and-a-half months of his sentence and since his release, he has addressed his substance misuse and offending behaviour.”
Said he Goddard now hopes to begin work and go to college but that “may have to be put on hold” given his curfew and unpaid work order.
Sheriff Iain Nicol told him a community payback order was a direct alternative to custody given the nature of the offence and Goddard’s list of previous convictions.
He sentenced Goddard, of Ancrum Court, Dundee, to 120 hours of unpaid work and a curfew lasting 10 months.
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