In 2026, a 21-year-old convicted sex offender was sentenced to an additional two years’ imprisonment at the High Court in Edinburgh after threatening members of a jury and assaulting a police officer during an explosive dock outburst.
Charlie Swain appeared before Lord Ewing for sentencing following disruptive and violent conduct committed on 20 August this year, immediately following his conviction for serious sexual and violent crimes. Swain had previously received a six-year custodial sentence for a sustained campaign of abuse between 2023 and 2024 against two young women, during which he carved his name into the thigh of one victim using a knife and assaulted her to the danger of her life.
The court heard from Advocate Depute Naomei Warner that Swain had been argumentative and disruptive throughout his trial, requiring repeated judicial warnings. Following deliberations, the jury returned unanimous guilty verdicts on three charges, including an incident of sexual intercourse without the first complainer’s consent.
When the trial judge, Lord Summers, formally advised Swain that he was being made subject to statutory notification on the Sex Offenders Register, Swain began muttering before escalating into an aggressive and volatile confrontation. After a family member in the public gallery shouted “monster”, Swain ignored repeated judicial orders to remain quiet and began sarcastically clapping towards the jury box. He hurled profanities at the well of the court, shouted that he was “not a beast”, and issued direct threats to the jurors, telling them: “See what happens this week.”
Lord Summers directed dock staff to remove Swain to the cells. As two female GeoAmey custody officers escorted him towards the dock exit, Swain shouted that “everyone was getting it” before turning back towards the jury to state: “So you remove four sections, but you leave one. Well done. I wilnae forget that.”
In the custody corridor, Swain struggled violently and pulled against his handcuffs. When a police constable stepped in to assist the female officers, Swain shouted aggressive profanities, threatened to headbutt the officer, and spat directly at him. The spittle landed on the officer’s stab-resistant body armour, with secondary spray striking a female custody officer in the face. Swain continued screaming and swearing from within his holding cell for a further 20 minutes.
Swain formally pleaded guilty to:
One count of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner
One count of assault on a police officer
Defence counsel David Taylor stated that Swain reacted violently after suddenly realising he had not been fully cleared of all sexual allegations, adding that Swain wished to apologise for his behaviour.
Passing sentence, Lord Ewing highlighted the critical necessity of protecting the integrity of the judicial process, stating:
“It is of great concern that you threatened members of the public who were required to undertake jury service. The fact that threats were made to the jury is a significant aggravation, as is the assault on a police officer charged with maintaining order and security in the High Court. Spitting on someone is a disgusting, cowardly act designed to demean.”
Lord Ewing sentenced Swain to a consecutive custodial term of 24 months’ imprisonment, ordered to run consecutively to the six-year sentence he is currently serving.
Image – Anonymous Artist Impression
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