Teen attacked police officer

A teenage thug who attacked a police officer in his Petersburn home has been sentenced to unpaid work.

Dylan Leitch, 18, and his co-accused Scott Rodger, 25, of Motherwell, targeted cops who attended Leitch’s Luing property on June 24 last year.

Leitch shouted and swore before “challenging the officers to a fight” and “struggling with them”; he then head-butted a male constable before punching him on the body.

Rodger also shouted and swore at the cops, uttering “violent threats and threats to kill two officers”, and struggled with them.

He repeatedly tried to punch the same constable Leitch attacked before actually “punching and kicking him on the body”.

The violent pair were eventually taken into custody at Coatbridge police office and owned up to their shameful conduct at Airdrie Sheriff Court.

Social work reports were ordered on both men ahead of their sentencing date last week.

Sheriff Derek O’Carroll told the pair: “Police officers have the right to go about their job without being treated in such a disgraceful way.”

Leitch was sentenced to a community payback order with 120 hours of unpaid work, reduced from 150 hours because he pled guilty, as a direct alternative to jail time.

Rodger will be tagged for four months after Sheriff O’Carroll imposed a restriction of liberty order.

Banned from road for three years

Driving while disqualified – and without insurance – led to an Airdrie motorist being banned from the road for three years.

Troubled Thomas Bannan will also undergo a drug treatment and testing order (DTTO) after he owned up to his brazen behaviour.

Bannan, 38, of West Kirk Street, illegally got behind the wheel on Ballochnie Drive in Plains on July 23.

His actions were later discovered and he was arrested by Coatbridge police officers.

Bannan’s suitability for a DTTO was then assessed ahead of his sentencing at Airdrie Sheriff Court last week.

After hearing from defence lawyer Nicky Matteo that his client was a successful candidate for help for his drug problems, Sheriff Derek O’Carroll urged Bannan to “take the chance” of the support offered by a DTTO.

The sheriff also told Bannan he will face “regular reviews” to assess his engagement with the order, the first of which will be on November 8.

Bannan was then disqualified from driving for the next three years.

Kicked car and caught with bat

A foul- mouthed man kicked a car and was caught with a bat during an aggressive episode, a court heard.

Patrick Dyer avoided jail time for his heated behaviour – but was hit with a series of other punishment.

The troubling incident took place on Whinhall’s Manor Drive on September 20 last year. It saw 56-year-old Dyer shout, swear, utter a “threat of violence” and kick the parked car; police attending the scene also caught Dyer with the bat in his possession.

Dyer, who lives in Easterhouse, owned up to the offences and, following the completion of background reports, appeared at Airdrie Sheriff Court for sentencing last week.

Sheriff Derek O’Carroll warned Dyer he was close to a spell in prison before, as an alternative to custody, imposing a four- month restriction of liberty order, reduced from 10 months due to Dyer’s plea; this will see him tagged and confined to his home between the hours of 7pm and 7am.

Dyer will also be under a community payback order with 200 hours of unpaid work – discounted from 250 because he owned up to his offences – and was fined £250.

Breached his bail

Sentence has been further deferred on a Whinhall man who breached court bail conditions.

Alan McKee defied instructions banning him from “approaching or contacting” a woman by doing just that on July 5.

The 46-year-old Whinhall Avenue resident owned up to the breach and was due to be sentenced last week after the completion of background reports.

But, during McKee’s return to Airdrie Sheriff Court last week, Sheriff Derek O’Carroll heard from McKee’s defence lawyer that his client was facing another date in the dock relating to another case and deferred matters until October 23 for “other matters”.

He then head-butted a male constable before punching him on the body