A woman used the n-word before assaulting a man on an Inverness street, a court has been told.
Tammy Kernaghan used the slur and shouted: “There is no black in the Union Jack” before pouring juice over her victim and slapping him.
When police were called she also assaulted an officer at the scene.
Kernaghan, 37, appeared at Inverness Sheriff Court for sentencing on charges of racially aggravated assault and assaulting a police officer on May 9 last year.
She was also sentenced for assaulting officers and threatening or abusive behaviour on January 8 of this year, as well as being in breach of bail conditions on a separate occasion.
Fiscal depute Rowan Marchbank told the court that on May 9 the witness had been on Union Street when he was approached by Kernaghan.
Woman used racial slurs before assault
“She started shouting towards him, calling him a n***** and shouting there was ‘no black in the Union Jack’,” he said
He continued: “She slapped the witness on the face and poured a can of juice over him.”
The court heard that police were called and when they arrived the victim identified Kernaghan – who was sitting at a nearby bar.
She was detained but assaulted police officers by kneeing and kicking them.
The court heard that Kernaghan again assaulted officers on January 8 of this year after they were called when she refused to leave a city centre bar.
Mr Marchbank told Sheriff Neil Wilson: “A call was received by the Police Scotland control room in relation to the now accused refusing to leave the locus.”
Bar disturbance
Officers attended at the Imperial Bar on Academy Street, and advised Kernaghan that staff wanted her to leave – assuring her that if she did so she would be allowed on her way.
But Kernaghan stretch out her arm and swept drinks from the bar -causing her to be arrested and escorted from the premises.
She was placed in the rear of a police vehicle and began shouting at officers telling them she was going to fight them whilst kicking out that the.
She said: “Come on then” and “I’ll batter you”
She kicked an officer on the body and thrust her foot out making contact with a police witness’s cheek, mouth and nose.
At one point she was hitting her head on the cell of the vehicle so an officer opened the door to try and stop her, at which point Kernaghan tried to headbutt him.
‘Embarrassed and ashamed of herself’
Solicitor Samantha Morrison told the court her client had expressed “deep regret and remorse” and was “very embarrassed and ashamed of herself”.
She said Kernaghan had used alcohol as a coping mechanism to deal with childhood trauma and adverse life experiences.
Ms Morrison told Sheriff Gary Aitken that Kernaghan had recently moved to Aberdeen and was hopeful that help she was now receiving would help her to resolve her substance abuse issues.
The sheriff told Kernaghan, of School Drive, Aberdeen: “Given the matters to which you have pled guilty I would be perfectly entitled to send you to prison today – I’m not going to do that.”
He instead placed her on community payback orders with one year’s supervision, 130 hours of unpaid work in the community and a requirement to engage with alcohol and drug action.