A man who spat in a woman’s face in an incident at Dunfermline bus station was later found trying to break into vehicles in a separate incident.

The culprit was 48-year-old Robert Hooper, who has appeared for sentencing at Dunfermline Sheriff Court by video-link from prison.

Hooper, of Broomhead Drive, Dunfermline admitted that on July 9 last year at the bus station in Queen Anne Street, he assaulted a woman by spitting on her face.

Hooper also admitted that on July 18 this year in Woodmill Road he repeatedly attempted to open the doors of locked cars.

He was then found in a motor van in Old Mill Court, Dunfermline, whereby it could be reasonably inferred that he intended to commit theft.

Depute fiscal Christine Allan said Hooper was seen trying car doors by a female driver who stopped and asked if he was okay but he did not answer. The woman dropped off her mother before returning to see Hooper still trying car doors and she contacted the police at around 4.40pm.

Officers arrived and found Hooper in a van, sleeping in the driver’s seat and he was arrested.

The court was told Hooper had taken alcohol and street Valium before the van incident and had been looking for somewhere to sleep when trying to open the vehicles.

The bus station incident involved a female friend he had been drinking with and they had fallen out.

Sheriff Francis Gill imposed a four-month restriction of liberty order for the most recent offence.

He deferred sentence on the spitting incident for good behaviour.