Heart attack victim warned to be of good behaviour
A recovering heart attack victim who caused a struggle in a pub after going on a drinking session was warned to be of good behaviour for six months when he appeared from custody at Lerwick Sheriff Court.
Raymond Coutts, 47, of Hamarsgarth in Mossbank, admitted breaching the peace by struggling with patrons at the Welcome Inn on Saturday.
Neither customers nor staff at the bar could calm him down, and it took three police officers eventually to restrain him, although he struggled with them as well.
Procurator fiscal Duncan MacKenzie said the “drink-fuelled incident” started when Coutts, who had suffered from a heart attack two months beforehand, drank so much alcohol he became abusive towards his wife, who works in the bar.
She left the premises to get away from him, but Coutts continued to be abusive, and the police were called after a minor struggle took place.
“He was struggling with the police and at some point he collapsed as a result of his drunken state. He was escorted in an ambulance to hospital. He received a check-over at the hospital and was deemed fit to be detained,” said Mr MacKenzie.
Police, exercising a degree of compassion given Coutts’ recent health problems, liberated him on the signed undertaking he did not make a nuisance of himself again.
Instead, however, he went to a house at Shorehaven in Mossbank where his wife had gone, and banged on the door demanding entry in the early hours of Sunday. The police were called again and he was detained once more.
He was held in custody from 5am on Sunday morning until his court appearance on Monday.
Defence agent Tommy Allan said Coutts’ behaviour was entirely out of character, and that he intended to apologise to all who had been affected by his actions.
“He suffered a heart attack seven weeks ago, and although he has made a recovery from it he is still affected by it mentally. Every time he shuts his eyes he thinks about it.”
Sheriff Graeme Napier deferred sentence until 4th November for Coutts to prove he could be of good behaviour. He said it was not necessary for Coutts to be on bail.
