A KILWINNING man coughed at cops telling them he hoped they would catch coronavirus and called them ‘f***ing rats’ after police told him off for noise.

James Higgins, 35, was fined after he admitted threatening or abusive behaviour during the incident at the start of lockdown on March 25, 2020 in Eglinton Place, Kilwinning.

When he appeared at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court last week, Procurator Fiscal depute Jade Podlesny said: “At 1.30am police were instructed to attend in relation to a noise complaint.

“On attendance, the accused was found in the household. He was warned over the noise but took exception to the warning. He left the locus and walked across the street to his mother’s [home]. Police parked outside his home.

“A police constable had his driver’s window down and at this moment the accused returned and called them ‘f***ing rats’.

“He then said ‘I hope you get the f***ing coronavirus’ and began coughing in their direction. He was cautioned and charged and replied ‘f*** off you rat’.”

Defence solicitor Neil McPherson said: “He is a single man and lives at the address on the complaint.

“His memory of events did not develop the way the police’s had – but he accepts police memory is better than his.

“This came about because of a perceived attitude of police to him and he got himself upset. He went to get his mother to witness what was going on, but she was not available and made the comments.

“I think the moral of this story is if you’re in a police car you should keep your window up.”

Sheriff Murdoch MacTaggart suggested it was best not to start by being abusive to officers.

Higgins was told to pay £300 plus a £20 payment to the victim surcharge fund.