‘Thugs’ admit police assault charges

Two “thugs engaging in thuggish behaviour” were fined a total of £1,200 at Lerwick Sheriff Court today after admitting assaulting and obstructing policemen who were trying to arrest them following a fight.

The court heard that Steven Hamilton Mills, 33, of Landsberry Road, Eckington, Sheffield, and David Sinclair Drever, 44, of Sandveien, Lerwick, got into a fight on the Esplanade after both had become very drunk.

Tommy Allan, defending both men, who are both plant operators, said that Mills had hit the bottle after an argument with his girlfriend on Friday night. He was so drunk he could remember nothing of the incident.

Drever’s excuse was that he had been watching football and was in a bad mood and turned to drinking after Scotland lost. He could remember little of the incident other than sitting in the back of a police van.

The pair had been brawling and people had been attempting to separate them when a police patrol spotted the ruckus.

Procurator fiscal Duncan MacKenzie said that Mills was the quieter of the two but turned violent when the police intervened. “Both were behaving like a couple of thugs engaging in thuggish behaviour,” he said.

Mills admitted assaulting a policeman by grabbing his upper body and obstructing and hindering two policemen by struggling violently with them. Drever admitted assaulting a policeman by grabbing his clothing and obstructing two policemen by struggling violently with them.

Mills, appearing in handcuffs from custody was fined £600 reduced from £900 to reflect his early plea. A similar punishment was meted out to Drever, who had been in custody but was released before his court appearance. Both men were to pay off their fines at the rate of £100 per month.

Mills, the court heard, has five children and had lost his job as a result of the fracas. He had another job lined up south. Drever, who has two children, had previous “analogous” convictions, though none recent.