'Spiderman' prank lands Inverness man in jail
“Spiderman” was unmasked in a Scottish courtroom yesterday as a 36 year old sex offender impersonating the comic book crimefighter.
“Spiderman” was unmasked in a Scottish courtroom yesterday as a 36 year old sex offender impersonating the comic book crimefighter.
James Grant, of Inverness was convicted after trial of a breach of the peace by frightening accident and emergency staff and an ambulance technician by appearing in full costume at the Highlands biggest hospital.
Three times Grant spooked workers and waiting relatives in Raigmore Hospital’s casualty waiting room on March 21, 22 and 23 this year by striking familiar Spidey poses in his red and blue suit.
He also crept up behind an ambulance technician who had a heart patient in the back of her vehicle and surprised her with a ‘boo’ before again adopting the familiar Spiderman crouch.
But Sheriff Gordon Fleetwood didn’t find Grant’s antics funny at is Inverness court and jailed him for six months.
He told balding, slightly built Grant: “Emergency workers have a hard enough job to do without having to deal with idiots like you.”
Grant had been remanded in custody for the past three weeks on the basis of his previous record, which included eight previous sex offences and one in July, 2014 when he was jailed at Perth High Court for a serious sex assault.
The court heard he was eventually caught by the armed police unit which was patrolling the area at the time. He was handed over by them to routine police officers who completed the arrest.
They had cornered him near a hospital building but Grant refused to remove his mask to reveal his true identity.
Grant’s first appearance as ‘Spiderman’ was on March 21 when 49 year old A&E receptionist Elizabeth Mackintosh was working.
She told the court that she thought it was “weird” when the costumed intruder walked in to the waiting area.
“He was only there briefly and just posed with his arms outstretched and his palms out.
“He came back the next night and did the same pose. I didn’t like it, it made me uneasy and I contacted security. It was not an appropriate place for someone with a mask on even although it was a Spiderman costume.”
Her 57 year old colleague, Catriona Douglas said in her evidence: “I was concerned about walking alone back to my car in the car park in case he was still around. It would frighten me if I came across a masked man at midnight.”
Ambulance technician Caroline Hafiz described how Grant came up unexpectedly beside her and went ‘boo’ before walking backwards “spidermanly” to sit on a bench like Spiderman.
“I had a cardiac patient in the ambulance at the time. It was not the appropriate place to do something like that. He then went up to the back door and waved his hands towards my colleague and the patient.
“Then two security guards turned up and he ran off.” Mrs Hafiz went on.
The security staff caught up with Grant who refused to remove his mask and threatened them.
The costume was produced as a production in court and all the witnesses identified it. But they said: “It is a Spiderman costume.”
Grant had denied behaving in a threatening and abusive manner on various occasions at Raigmore Hospital between March 21 and 23 which was likely to cause fear and alarm by repeatedly attending the hospital in full Spiderman outfit and mask, approaching a paramedic then transferring a patient from an ambulance, refuse to remove the mask and utter threats of violence.”