James Mackie, a 51-year-old professional driver, faces jail after assaulting his boss and smashing windows of six company vehicles, causing more than £32,000 in damage. The incident occurred after a staff Christmas party in Pitlochry, Perthshire, where Mackie was employed by Elizabeth Yule Coaches.
Christmas party turns violent
Mackie admitted assaulting a female company director and hurling homophobic abuse during a festive bowling and restaurant trip on December 7. The group of eight staff members visited a bowling alley before heading to a restaurant, where Mackie became extremely drunk and was reportedly "making a nuisance of himself" and being "loud and obnoxious".
On the minibus journey back to the depot, Mackie demanded a song be played, but was refused. He shouted "Jobby jabber - put my f***ing song on" and made offensive remarks. Company director Emily Thorne intervened, taking away his pint glass, after which Mackie called her a cow and threatened to kill her with a machete, saying he knew where she lived.
Vandalism spree discovered
The next morning, staff discovered numerous windows smashed across six vehicles, including a Volvo B11R double decker bus worth £250,000. CCTV footage showed Mackie prowling the company yard around midnight, despite claiming he had gone home early. The damage included seven windows on one bus and several on another, as well as damage to a van and two cars, leaving them off the road for weeks.
Mackie had phoned to apologise for his behaviour but made no mention of the vandalism. The company had to cancel pre-booked trips, and the total loss will be revealed in court.
Court proceedings
Mackie admitted threatening violence, shouting abuse, and making homophobic remarks during the journey, as well as attacking Emily Thorne and four charges of damaging vehicles. Sheriff Alison McKay deferred sentence for reports, stating, "This, in the nicest possible way, at your age, is a rather unusual set of circumstances in terms of the offending." Mackie will be sentenced next month.
