A 52-year-old man from Airdrie has been acquitted of charges that he tried to strike a police officer who was giving evidence in a court hearing.
Verdict at Hamilton Sheriff Court
James Grahames was accused of lunging at a serving police constable in the witness box, and of assaulting that officer and behaving in a threatening or abusive manner. A jury at Hamilton Sheriff Court returned not-guilty verdicts on the counts.
- Defendant: James Grahames, 52, of Airdrie
- Court: Hamilton Sheriff Court (trial), Airdrie Sheriff Court (earlier hearing)
- Charges: assault on a police officer; threatening or abusive behaviour
- Outcome: not guilty on the charges related to the alleged attempt to punch the officer
How the incident unfolded
The episode arises from a previous hearing held at Airdrie Sheriff Court last September concerning motoring offences and alleged threatening or abusive conduct. Jurors at the later trial were shown a recording from that Airdrie hearing which captured the accused interrupting the officer while he was giving evidence.
Prosecutors say the hearing had to be adjourned because of the man’s disruptive behaviour. Witnesses for the Crown told the court that, during the ensuing restraint, Grahames’ head struck the dock as officers took him to the floor. The defence dispute aspects of those accounts.
“I called him a liar but that’s not the same as being abusive,” the accused told the court.
Grahames told jurors he had been in a “foul” mood and admitted he was “absolutely livid” at the time. He denied using an explicit insult reported by witnesses and rejected claims that he challenged a GEOAmey custody officer to a fight outside the court.
Describing his version of events, he said he merely pointed at the officer and was about 10 feet away from the witness box when the sequence began. He told the court that a GEOAmey officer pulled on his handcuffs and that he subsequently fell, and he alleged an officer jumped from the witness box and struck his face several times.
Injuries and competing accounts
Grahames sustained a head injury in the incident, the source material reports. Crown witnesses maintained the head contact occurred as he was brought to the floor; Grahames maintained the injury was the result of officers’ actions and alleged that a police constable had kicked his face.
The jury’s not-guilty verdicts relate to the allegations about attempting to punch the officer and the linked disorderly conduct counts that arose from the disturbance at the initial Airdrie hearing.
Local implications
The matter highlights how incidents that begin in a local court can carry on into separate trials elsewhere when criminal allegations against courtroom behaviour arise. For Airdrie residents, the case is a reminder that conduct in court is subject to scrutiny and can result in separate criminal proceedings if allegations of assault or threats are made.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Location of original hearing | Airdrie Sheriff Court |
| Location of trial | Hamilton Sheriff Court |
| Verdict | Not guilty on charges related to punching an officer and threatening or abusive conduct |
No additional sentencing or related criminal findings arising from the Airdrie hearing were reported in coverage of the Hamilton trial. The recording from the original Airdrie session formed part of the evidence presented to the jury.
As this matter involved a local resident and referenced Airdrie Sheriff Court, it will be of interest to readers who follow local court activity, policing matters and the handling of disruptive behaviour in judicial settings.
