A repeat offender who attacked and insulted police officers while subject to no less than eight bail orders is facing jail.
Patrick Stewart has been warned he may now have “crossed the threshold” where his temporary remand in custody becomes a little more permanent after he admitted calling police officers “paedos” and assaulting one constable.
The 23-year-old appeared from custody at HMP Inverness for trial at Elgin Sheriff Court facing a string of charges but instead offered guilty pleas to just two – which were accepted by the Crown.
But since he’s already serving five community payback orders, including one for threatening to kill his partner and her granny, he’s been told his time at liberty may soon be up.
Procurator fiscal Sharon Ralph said police were called to arrest Stewart during a disturbance with another man in the Kingsmills area of Elgin on March 19 this year.
Called police officers ‘paedos’
After officers had reason to arrest him he was taken to Elgin custody suite where he became “obstructive” when asked to fill in a standard vulnerabilities questionnaire.
She said Stewart was seen “dropping his weight and wrapping both his legs around the legs of one police officer” before kicking the man forcefully in the thigh as he broke free.
“After being charged at 9.05pm, he became aggressive and agitated towards officers again making various threats to ‘knock them out’ and calling them all ‘paedos’,” she added.
“He made further comments, acted aggressively and lunged towards officers and was thereafter put in a cell.”
He’s remained there since but appeared from custody to face trial at which point he admitted one charge of police assault and another of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner. Not guilty pleas were accepted to three other charges.
He ‘lost his cool’ over comments
Stewart’s defence agent David Patterson said the previous incident which first brought his client to police attention involved another man, “who is also well known to the court” and who had made “disparaging comments” about his client’s autistic son.
“He tried to keep his cool but did eventually lose that cool,” the solicitor said. “He and his partner were upset by the comments.”
He said when police were then called Stewart was “emotional” and “couldn’t understand why he was the one being lifted”.
He made comments in the police vehicle such as “he was speaking s*** about my boy” and “I had had enough of it”.
Mr Patterson added: “It’s disappointing that yet again he has come to the attention of this court. He shares that disappointment.
“He had been complying fully with his community payback orders and was finding real benefit in attending all his appointments. The order is going well.”
Claims jail not the right place for him
He added Stewart was a young man with “complex needs” who had been addressing mental health issues prior to being held at HMP Inverness.
“It’s in the public interest for him to be released and at liberty to continue with his orders,” he argued.
But Sheriff Ian Cruickshank disagreed, saying: “There may be an unusual set of circumstances but there’s no excuse for behaving like that towards police officers in a police station in the execution of their duty … and not while subject to eight current bail orders.”
He refused bail and deferred sentence for background reports and a restriction of liberty order assessment but warned Stewart he may be facing jail.
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