A yob deliberately coughed on a police officer attending a fire at a Scots home - and told him he had Covid-19.
Kevin Goudie coughed on the cop as the officer and his colleagues tried to make sure the bonfire was safe.
Ayr Sheriff Court heard that furniture was being torched in a back garden, and officers were worried about the height of the flames.
They went to the property in question, in the seaside town of Ayr, to make sure the blaze was safe for those in attendance and the homes nearby.
But Goudie, 29, took umbrage at the officers' presence, and coughed on PC David Scobie.
The details emerged on Wednesday, when Goudie, of Ayr, appeared at the town's sheriff court for a pre-trial hearing in the case.
He pleaded guilty to a charge of assaulting PC Scobie on August 9, 2020, "in the execution of his duties" by coughing "at him whilst intimating to him that you had Coronavirus (Covid-19)."
Prosecutor Martina McGuigan said PC Scobie and a colleague had been called to the property in question to check "the height of the fire" and "found a group of people" in the back garden.
She said they tried to gain entry to the garden but were blocked off by someone who was there.
The Procurator Fiscal Depute added: "The accused was standing opposite him.
"He leaned over and coughed directly onto him, stating, 'I've got Covid'.
"When cautioned and charged, he said, 'I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done it'.
"He stated he did not have any Covid-19 symptoms."
She also said that, the following day, when Goudie made his initial court appearance from custody, he insisted he did not have Covid and had been "drinking and frustrated at a family gathering."
Defence solicitor Tony Currie said: "He's served periods of detention previously - some years ago.
"He was in drink and was angry at the police attending.
"He was not in fact suffering any symptoms of Covid. He obtained a test, which was negative.
"He has now attained full time employment and is doing much better."
Sheriff Scott Pattison called for background reports to be prepared ahead of sentencing, adjourned the case until later in the year for that to be done, and continued Goudie's bail.
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