Swedish tourist spat on waitress

A SWEDISH man was chased by Edinburgh Airport security staff after he spat in the face of a waitress at a Costa Coffee stall.

The 30-year-old's action led to him missing his flight home, spending a night in police cells and another in Saughton Prison.

Aptulah Vurucu, from Stockholm, pleaded guilty at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Thursday to assaulting Monica Zajac on January 5. Sentence was deferred until yesterday for contact to be made with the Swedish consulate after Sheriff Elizabeth Jarvie QC was told that, having missed his flight by being in custody, Vurucu could not pay for another ticket.

Ms Zajac was cleaning tables at 3pm when Vurucu asked her if a hat had been handed in. He also asked a number of other staff, but they checked behind the coffee bar and there was no sign of a hat. Three hours later, he approached the waitress again and began verbally abusing her, then spat in her face.

He was chased by airport security staff, who caught him.

Sheriff Jarvie admonished and dismissed Vurucu, whose passage home was provided by the Swedish consulate.