Coronavirus: Inverness man jailed for coughing in officers' faces
A man who coughed in the faces of two police officers has been jailed for four months.
Iain Lindsay, 48, from Inverness, committed the offence on 15 April amid ongoing concerns about the spread of Covid-19. He is believed to be the first person in Scotland to be jailed for endangering police officers' lives by coughing on them. Lindsay and the officers were found not to have the infection. Lindsay, described as a prisoner in Inverness, appeared before Sheriff Sara Matheson at Inverness Sheriff Court and admitted assaulting two police constables by coughing in their faces to the danger of their lives. His defence solicitor, Graham Mann, said he understood there were similar cases pending but his client was the first in Scotland to be sentenced. The court heard that Lindsay was arrested in connection with an alleged incident at his home. 'Significant alarm and distress' He was taken to Inverness' Burnett Road Police Station to be "booked in" and asked routine questions, while accompanied by two police officers. The court heard that during the booking-in process, Lindsay turned towards one officer and coughed once in his face, before turning to the other and also coughing once in his face. Although Lindsay was not displaying any Covid-9 related symptoms, the incident caused the officers and their families "significant alarm and distress". Mr Mann said his client, who admitted a long list of previous convictions, was drunk but that this was no excuse and it was "unacceptable behaviour".