Man broke wind in courtroom
Brian Hossack • Published 15 Jan 2010 14:00
A MAN was charged with contempt of court after drinking from a bottle of cheap booze then breaking wind while sitting in the public benches.
Edwin Brown, 30, was sitting in Greenock Sheriff Court waiting to face a charge of making abusive telephone calls when his phone began ringing.
He then tried to down a gulp from a £2.99 bottle of sherry which he had hidden in a rucksack.
After being warned by court officers about the disruption he was causing, Brown then loudly broke wind - prompting Sheriff Vincent Canavan to haul him before the dock and charge him with contempt.
After being charged with the offence last month, Brown was back in the dock on Wednesday, where Sheriff Canavan imposed a fine.
He told Brown: "I remember you were the man who tried to help yourself to a swig from a bottle of Tudor Rose in a bag, fiddled around with your mobile phone, and then provided us with a contribution to the court's carbon dioxide supply."
Brown's defence solicitor Gerry Keenan said his client had never meant to show any disrespect with his actions.
Mr Keenan added: "As far as the phone goes, he tells me he was trying to switch it off when someone rang him.
"He admits being in possession of the bottle within the courtroom and he accepts the latter of these, although he tells me this was not something he did deliberately.
"He understands what he did was disrespectful but this was not meant to be the case."
Sheriff Canavan quipped: "I thought as much. Perhaps he was shaken by the discovery of his swally and lost control of himself temporarily.
"I've listened to Mr Keenan and I will let go two of these matters. However, for trying to ingest alcohol within my court you will be fined £100."
Brown, of Broomhill Way, Greenock, was later cleared of the original charge of leaving the voice messages on a phone on 25 February last year when a plea of not guilty was accepted by the Crown.
This article appeared in Greenock Telegraph 15 Jan 10
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