A LOCHGELLY woman threatened to hit a shop employee with a bottle of Buckfast after being told she was barred.

Vicki Farrell, 41, of South Street, threatened staff and later swung a bag containing glass bottles at a police officer during the incident.

Appearing for sentencing at Dunfermline Sheriff Court, on Wednesday, she had previously admitted that on June 11 at The Co-op in Bank Street, she behaved in a threatening and abusive manner when she shouted, swore whilst holding a glass bottle and threatened to strike staff with said glass bottle.

She also stole a quantity of alcohol and assaulted a police officer when she swung a bag containing glass bottles at him.

Depute Fiscal, Azrah Yousaf, said Farrell came into the store at around 7pm but was asked to leave by staff members who said she was barred.

"She becomes hostile towards them and started swearing," she said.

"She was holding a bottle of Buckfast in her hand and says "f****** come any closer and I will put this bottle of Buckie over your head."

When staff said they were going to activate the panic alarm, Farrell stated: "oh well if I have to get done I will get done right" and took bottles from a display.

When police caught up with her in the car park, she swung a bag containing glass bottles at one of the officers.

Solicitor, Danielle Varela, said her client's position was she had attended the store to do her shopping.

She explained: "She said she was banned from the shop 20 years ago but had been in the store since and was of the view that the previous difficulty was water under the bridge.

"It seems that view was not shared by the staff. Initially they approach her and ask her to leave and tell her she was banned and she questioned this and, at that stage, they tell her she is a thief. She felt it was unfair to use that phrase and she went onto tell them that if they were labelling her as a thief, she may as well live up to that name.

"She fully appreciated her behaviour was not acceptable. She has reacted angrily to a situation she thinks, due to alcohol, and other substances she had taken on that date."

Sheriff Charles Macnair placed Farrell on a community payback order with supervision for two years. She was also put on a restriction of liberty order for 11 months requiring her to stay in her home between 7pm and 7am.

He told her: "Any shopkeeper is entitled to refuse any customer access to their premises and if you are asked to leave, you leave, you don't threaten members of staff.

"People who work in shops are vulnerable to abuse in that they can not leave. They cannot just run away.

"They have to do what they are paid to do and what they are paid to do is not being abused and threatened by people in their premises. In the same way as police officers are not paid to be assaulted."