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Woman covered herself in fuel outside police station and lit a flame


By Court Reporter

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A YOUNG woman doused herself in fuel outside a police station and flicked a cigarette lighter…

However, the flame flickered only briefly, giving officers vital seconds to overpower Robyn Miller and secure the lighter, Wick Sheriff Court heard on Monday.

The drama occurred after the 25-year-old arrived at the station in Wick, on July 17, in an attempt to visit someone in custody.

Miller issued an ultimatum, threatening to set herself alight if she wasn’t admitted, fiscal David Barclay told Sheriff Andrew Berry.

The fiscal said that officers had earlier located the accused in the yard at the rear of the station, but before they could strike up a rapport with her, she flicked the lighter she was holding close to her body.

Mr Barclay went on: “The lighter was lit, momentarily, and when the flame went out, the officers grasped the opportunity to pounce. Although Miller resisted them, they managed, thankfully, to get the lighter from her and bring matters under control without any harm being caused to anyone.”

Sheriff Andrew Berry.
Sheriff Andrew Berry.

The fiscal added that Miller, who was detained for a time under the Mental Health Act, before being released, had put herself and others who were attempting to disarm her at risk.

Miller admitted a charge of culpable and reckless conduct by putting police officers and herself in danger.

She further pleaded guilty to an additional charge of causing a breach of the peace earlier on July 17, in Glamis Road where she lives.

It happened while police officers were dealing with a gas emergency in the street. A cordon had been erected and Miller appeared in an attempt to find out what was going on.

Mr Barclay said that Miller ignored warnings to “stay back” despite the nature of the emergency but rather than “taking a telling” she began to shout and swear. The incident attracted the attention of neighbours who heard the commotion.

Miller, said to have been “getting in the way” of police dealing with an emergency, threatened to kill herself before running away.

She also admitted further, unrelated offences of threatening or abusive behaviour and breaching a 7pm to 7am daily curfew, on September 28.

Mr Barclay said that Miller had been taken to the police station and was “clearly unhappy” at being there.

He went on: “She was basically making a verbal nuisance of herself and threatened to seek out Constable Becky Dickson, later, and sort her out.”

Sheriff Berry, commenting that Miller appeared to have “only recently taken to regular offending”, deferred sentence for a background report until December 2 when he will hear from the accused’s solicitor, Fiona MacDonald.

The sheriff added that he wanted to have as much information as possible before passing sentence.


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