A bus journey through Inverness became a terrifying experience for a woman passenger after a drunk man got off the vehicle.
Inverness Sheriff Court heard that the woman had intended disembarking at Raigmore Hospital but changed her mind when 43-year-old Brian Robertson alighted first and then stared at her through the window.
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Fiscal depute Pauline Gair told Sheriff Eilidh Macdonald: “He put his face up to the glass and drew his fingers across his neck and pointed at her. This left her in a state of fear and she contacted police.
“Police attended but the accused refused to give them his details.”
Mrs Gair went on: “He challenged one of the officers to fight, putting his fists up and miming punching motions. Then he made sexualised comments towards them.”
Mrs Gair added that Robertson, designated as an Inverness prisoner, was handcuffed and put in a police van and during the journey to Burnett Road Police Station and in a police cell he continued to make threats.
“In the cell he lashed out at one officer and hit him in the face and threatened to stab him in the neck before spitting in his eye,” she said. “The officer suffered discomfort in his eye and when he was punched, he bit the inside of his mouth causing a small cut.”
Robertson admitted threatening behaviour, assault to injury and refusing to give his personal details when required to do so.
Sheriff Macdonald deferred sentence for a background report after defence solicitor Marc Dickson told her that there was a background of mental health problems with his client.
Robertson will appear again on February 4 and was once more remanded in custody.
The sheriff told Robertson: “You will be released from prison at some stage and you may need some support. A report will give me sentencing options.”