Fisherman hooks £600 fine

Dec 31 2010 Perthshire Advertiser Friday

A PETERHEAD fisherman hid in a long-distance bus toilet, downed a bottle of booze then turned on the driver and a passenger when asked to come out.

Mark Davison was on board a National Express service between Aberdeen and London with 27 passengers in October when he assaulted the two people, racially abusing the passenger.

Davison (40), of Duncan Crescent in the Aberdeenshire town, previously admitted the three offences – two of assault and one of acting in a racially aggravated manner – but was asked to attend personally at Perth Sheriff Court on Wednesday.

He was fined a total of £600 for his offences.

Fiscal depute Charmaine Cole told the court that the bus was travelling down the A90 when a passenger informed the bus driver that another passenger – Davison – had locked himself in the WC.

He stopped the bus at an Inchyra layby and investigated alongside the passenger.

After two minutes of knocking on the toilet door Davison emerged with a carrier bag containing an empty bottle of vodka, the fiscal depute said.

“The driver told him he wasn’t allowed to drink on the bus. The accused then pushed him on the chest, causing him to stumble back,” Ms Cole added.

Davison turned on the passenger after he asked him to stop, pushing him too, shouting, “f***ing shut up” and “f***ing n****r”.

The driver returned to his seat and called the police.

Davison’s solicitor said the actions had been borne out of his drinking which had “dimmed” his behaviour.

He was on the bus travelling to England for a fishing job there, the solicitor explained, adding that he had a lengthy criminal record.

Sheriff Michael Fletcher described the offence as a “ nuisance type” which had interrupted the “peaceful journeys” of the other passengers.