A woman said she had Covid as she danced around in front of staff and gyrated without a mask at court.
Lyndsey Thomson was seen walking around inside Edinburgh Sheriff Court without a required face mask during the Covid pandemic last year.
She repeatedly ignored instructions to put a mask on and was caught on camera openly mocking security guards, gyrating in front of CCTV, Edinburgh Live reported .
The 38-year-old also boasted to staff she had Covid before she was eventually kicked out of the court and arrested.
Thomson appeared back at the same courthouse on Friday where she pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of committing a breach of the peace on January 7 last year.
Fiscal depute Anna Chisholm said Thomson was wearing a mask when she entered the building at around 10am, but soon took it off despite signs warning members of the public of the dangers.
Ms Chisholm said: “Over the course of the morning the accused was seen on numerous occasions to be taking her mask off and walking around the building without her mask on.
“She was followed by security staff and advised on multiple occasions she was required to wear a face covering.
“She continued to take her mask off and dance in front of security cameras in an effort to taunt security staff.
“She was warned again of the importance of wearing a mask and not to enter and exit the building without a face covering.”
She was then seen “approaching members of the public” outside a courtroom without a mask on.
Despite repeated requests from security staff she continually “refused to comply with instructions” to put her mask back on.
The fiscal added Thomson, from Stenhouse, Edinburgh, had told security staff “I have Covid” and she was “finally removed from the court building at around 12.30pm” and arrested.
The court was told there had been no confirmation whether Thomson was suffering from the deadly virus at the time.
Lawyer Anna Kocela, defending, said her client had been “foolish and silly” by refusing to wear a mask and she had “not responded well to the situation”.
Sheriff Chris Dickson told her: “This was extremely poor conduct over a prolonged period in this court.”
Sentence was deferred for reports and a restriction of liberty order assessment to later this month.
Thomson admitted to an amended charge of refusing to comply with Covid 19 guidance by removing her mask and refusing to comply with instructions to correctly apply her mask while within the court building and committing a breach of the peace at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on January 7 last year.
A not guilty plea to assaulting a security officer Paul Smith by coughing directly in his face was accepted by the Crown.
