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Man threatened Co-op staff


By Court Reporter

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The Co-op involved in the court case was on Alness High Street.
The Co-op involved in the court case was on Alness High Street.

An Alness man, who assaulted a supermarket supervisor and then threatened to kill staff and burn down their homes and the shop, could be put on a curfew.

Damian Bigus (30), Riverside Road, had been banned from entering the Co-op on Alness High Street, but did so on January 8, a court heard.

He demanded to be given Players Red cigarettes and when a sales assistant refused to serve him, became angry and started shouting and swearing.

Tain Sheriff Court was told that a supervisor came over and told Bigus that he was banned but he then “squared up” to her. She told him to leave and he pushed her on the chest.

A member of staff who witnessed the incident later told police that the push had lifted the supervisor off the ground. She then fell backwards onto the floor and banged her head on the ground. She was said to have hit her head so hard that it made a “distinctive sound”.

Roderick Urquhart, prosecuting, said Bigus continued to shout at various members of staff as well as shoppers.

“He indicated that he was going to burn down the shop and burn them and kill them, and so on,” said the fiscal

“Two men in the shop effectively walked the accused outside and police were called. The entire incident was recorded on CCTV.”

The supervisor involved in the fracas suffered a swollen and bruised wrist but no injury to her head. She had to take some time off work

At Monday’s court, Bigus admitted a charge of assault and another of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner likely to cause a reasonable person to suffer fear or alarm.

Sheriff Christopher Dickson deferred sentence until April 29 for Criminal Justice social work reports and also called for a restriction of liberty assessment, indicating Bigus might be in line for a curfew.

Defence agent Rory Gowans said he would give the plea of mitigation when the case next called but he said: “Mr Bigus was experiencing health difficulties at the time.”


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