A drunk man staggered into the road, then targeted concerned motorists and damaged a vehicle, a court has heard.
Richard Thomson appeared drunk as he walked along the A95 towards Grantown on Spey.
He staggered into the road, disrupting traffic, before confronting drivers and targeting their vehicles.
Thomson, 34, appeared at Inverness Sheriff Court to admit a single charge of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner in relation to the incident on May 6 last year.
Fiscal depute Emma MacEwan told the court that Thomson appeared intoxicated and was acting in an “aggressive and confrontational manner” as he walked along the trunk road.
‘You are dead’
As he staggered onto the road vehicles stopped, at which point he approached the cars and confronted motorists, telling one: “You are dead”.
When another vehicle stopped after swerving to avoid Thomson he shouted and swore at the driver and accused him of trying to kill him.
When the driver got out of his vehicle Thomson pushed him on the chest and knocked him to the ground.
“Other witnesses shouted at the accused to leave the witness alone after which he approached their car and hit the car door,” Ms MacEwan said.
“The accused was still shouting and swearing and began punching the wing mirror with his fist and then broke off the wing mirror.”
Drunk man swung belt at cars
After this Thomson walked away swinging his belt and trying to hit passing vehicles with it.
When police arrived on the scene Thomson struggled with them and had to be restrained to the ground.
He shouted “f*** your charges” at officers.
Sheriff Eilidh MacDonald told Thomson, of Dulaig Court, Grantown on Spey: “This is an appalling way to behave, you upset alarmed and caused chaos for a number of people.”
She placed him on a structured deferred sentence for six months.