Policeman threatened to attack fellow officers after Edinburgh night out

A ROWDY police sergeant threatened to attack fellow officers and urinate in their van after he had been arrested following a drunken night out.

Martin McKay was on a night out with his wife - also a serving officer - and friends when police were called to the Stramash bar in Edinburgh following an alleged incident with a bar maid.

McKay, from Edinburgh, was placed in the back of a police van and was being taken to the city’s St Leonard’s police station when he started making the threats.

During the journey McKay, 50, was said to have become “agitated” and he “demanded to be let out” so he could relieve himself.

General view of Edinburgh Sheriff Court. Picture: Ian Georgeson

And after being told he was then being taken to Livingston station to be processed McKay began to “shout and swear” and raged “pull the f***ing van over now”.

He then told his fellow officers that he would “urinate in the van” if they failed to pull the vehicle over.

McKay - who has 21 years police service - also threatened one officer by stating “if you don’t pull over I am going to punch the f**k out of you”.

Sgt McKay pleaded guilty to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by repeatedly shouting, swearing, threatening to urinate in the police van and fail to comply with instructions from police officers and utter threats of violence at St Leonard’s police station, Edinburgh and Livingston police station on August 6 last year.

Not guilty pleas to sexually assaulting a woman by handling her private parts and to repeatedly exposing himself to a male bar worker at Stramash, Cowgate, Edinburgh, on the same date were accepted by the Crown.

Prosecutor Mark Keane told the court McKay had been out for a meal with his wife and a group of friends and the party ended up in the popular Stramash pub.

Mr Keane said McKay was “a serving officer at the time of the incident” and he had been detained by officers at around 12.15am on August 6 last year.

The fiscal said McKay was not placed in handcuffs and a decision was made to transfer him to Livingston as he had previously worked in stations throughout the capital.

Mr Keane said the disgraced officer refused to comply with officers instructions while in their back of the police van and repeatedly made threats to the constables.

Mr Keane said: “Once on the motorway the accused asked to sit in the front of the van and also asked to get out to urinate.

“This was refused and the accused then began to shout and swear sating ‘pull the f**king van over” and “just let me out for a pee”.

Again this request was refused and McKay went on to threaten to urinate inside the back of the police van.

Defence solicitor Mr Anderson told the court his client had been a uniformed sergeant in Inverness at the time of the incident but had recently moved back to the capital to care for an elderly relative.

The brief said McKay had been on “restricted duties” at Dalkeith police station since his arrest and that his wife was also a serving police officer.

Mr Anderson said McKay had been out socialising with friends on the evening he had been detained and he had become agitated and unruly after being refused to go to the toilet.

McKay was now said to be “anxious and upset” due to his actions and it was “highly likely he will be dismissed” from his position with Police Scotland.

The solicitor added McKay has served in the drug squad and the organised crime unit during his 21-year police career and that he had since apologised to the officers he had abused.

Sheriff John Cook told McKay: “You should have known better than most and police officers should not have to deal with this.”

Sheriff Cook marked the offence by fining McKay £540.

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