A 24-year-old fisherman who spat in the face of a police officer has been handed a suspended sentence.
Jason Craig Quayle threw a crisp stand onto the floor in a supermarket after staff refused to sell him alcohol.
He was also ordered to pay the cop £200 compensation and was given a 12-month licensing ban.
Quayle admitted assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest, threatening behaviour, and possessing cannabis.
He went to the checkout with alcohol and told a member of staff that he had smashed a couple of bottles in the shop.
Quayle was described as appearing to be drunk so the staff member asked him if he had been drinking and he replied: ‘Yeah, I’ve had three.’
He was refused the sale and then became aggressive and swore.
The shop manager came to speak to him but Quayle continued to ask why he could not be served.
He then reached under the checkout’s plastic screen and raised his middle finger to the staff before hitting the screen.
Quayle walked out but on the way grabbed a crisp stand and threw it onto the floor, shouting as he left.
At 3.45pm he returned to the shop, while a police officer was upstairs taking details of the original incident.
Quayle again approached the checkout, this time with some beer.
The manager refused to sell him the alcohol again and Quayle shouted: ‘I’m 24. I’m over 21. Nobody here knows the law.’
The police officer came downstairs but Quayle then ran off.
He was found in Queen’s Street a short time later and was described as having glazed eyes, slurring his words, and smelling of alcohol, and was subsequently arrested.
As he was being taken to a police van a struggle ensued as Quayle swore at officers and thrust his head towards them but made no contact.
He was put on the ground and a search found 0.4 grams of cannabis, valued by police at £8, in his pocket.
At police headquarters he continued to be aggressive and then spat in the face of an officer with the spittle landing on his nose and glasses.
During an interview Quayle remained silent.
Defence advocate Ian Kermode handed in letters of apology to the court and to the police from Quayle.
Mr Kermode said that his client had been intoxicated when the offences were committed.
‘Mr Quayle commenced work in March on a fishing boat,’ said the advocate.
‘After being at sea for a couple of weeks, he has been on shore leave and consumed too much alcohol, and has become abusive.’
The advocate asked for credit to be given for Quayle’s guilty pleas and said that he was due to leave the island shortly on another fishing trip, but would lose his job if he was sent to custody.
A probation report recommended supervision as the most appropriate sentence.
Quayle was fined £750 in January for provoking behaviour after an incident involving a homophobic comment outside Peel Town Hall.
In July 2020 he was jailed for 16 months after headbutting a police officer while he was subject to a suspended sentence.
Magistrates chair Ken Faragher told Quayle: ‘Your record is already atrocious with many similar offences. Any offence of assaulting a police officer is atrocious but to actually spit at a police officer is probably the lowest of the low.’
Quayle was sentenced to six months custody, suspended for 24 months.
He must also pay £125 prosecution costs, which he must pay, along with the compensation, within two months.