A dad who punched a member of staff in the face as they attempted to throw him out of a strip club has admitted assault.
Ryan Hempkin was being ejected from the Private Eyes gentlemen’s club in Academy Street, Inverness, when he lashed out and punched a member of the venue’s staff.
He then attempted to bite the man, and when police were called to deal with the incident he tried to bite an officer as well.
In a hearing at Inverness Sheriff Court, Hempkin, 28, pled guilty to charges of assault and threatening or abusive behaviour, both of which related to the incident on November 8.
Man ejected from city strip club
Fiscal Depute Ruaridh Allison told the court that it was just after midnight when club bosses decided Hempkin, of St Ninian Drive, Inverness, was no longer welcome.
He said: “At about 12.30am on the date libelled the accused was within Private Eyes in Academy Street Inverness.
“He was being escorted out when the accused lashed out and punched him to the face.
“Both parties ended up on the floor. The accused made an attempt to bite.”
The court heard that police were called but when they arrived they themselves became the focal point for Hempkin’s frustration.
As he was being escorted to the rear of the police vehicle, Hempkin made an attempt to bite the upper leg of a constable.
Mr Allison said: “Thereafter the accused continued to be uncooperative with police and as a result he was unable to be processed on arrival at Burnett Road due to his behaviour.
“He was repeatedly requested that he desist. He refused to do so and he was conveyed to a police cell.”
Strip club customer ‘from a good family’
Duncan Henderson, mitigating, told the court that his client came “from a good family” but suffered from a mental health disorder and had struggled to access care in the wake of the pandemic.
He explained that, following a bereavement, unemployed father-of-two Hempkin had taken the decision to drink alcohol on top of his medication.
He said: “Mr Hempkin apologises completely to those involved. It is accepted that these are serious matters.”
Sheriff Ian Cruickshank called for a criminal justice social work report before the case calls again at the end of the month.
