A teenager with a bad record for assaulting police officers and resisting arrest was sentenced to six months detention at Inverness Sheriff Court yesterday.
Cameron Ross, 6 Pinewood, Drumindorsair, Broallan, Beauly appeared from custody for sentence before Sheriff Margaret Neilson who told him he had “every opportunity from the court to stay out of jail.”
Ross was appearing for a review of a community payback order imposed earlier this year for a similar offence.
He also had a number of deferred sentences running alongside it including three offences of police assault and resisting arrest.
But while the order was running, the court heard Ross fell foul of the law once more and struggled violently with police and bit one officer on the leg on October 3 in Academy Street and Burnett Road police station in Inverness.
Fiscal depute Karen Smith told the court that a CCTV operator saw Ross lying outside a frozen food shop in the street, apparently unconscious.
She said: “Officers attended with an ambulance but couldn’t wake Ross. They found his wallet and checked his identity. It became clear to them that Ross was on a bail curfew and should not have been there at that time.
“He became hostile and kicked out at officers and struggled violently with them. While he was being processed at the police station, he began struggling again and bit one officer on the leg.”
Defence lawyer Willie Young revealed that Ross was, in fact, not on a curfew because the bail order had been amended earlier but the police computer had not been updated.
“He was in company of friends and had more to drink than was sensible.He tried to get a bus home and then made a phone call home to get transport and was waiting for that.
“He has co-operated well with his payback order (CPO) so this arrest is unfortunate. He has let himself and the court down badly.
“I appreciate he has had ample opportunity to turn things round and he is deeply sorry he reacted in this way.”
Jailing him and backdating it to October 6 when Ross was remanded, Sheriff Neilson said: “This behaviour is disappointing given the number of chances the court has given you.
“The police are entitled to carry out their duties without behaviour like this.”
However, the Sheriff opted not to sentence Ross on the other charges he was facing which had been deferred to run alongside the CPO.
Instead, she allowed the order to continue, fixed another review for March next year and deferred them again until then.
But she warned Ross: “If you do not co-operate with this order to the letter, then it will be revoked and you will be going to detention for a lengthy period.”