Thug threatened to kill barking dog Brute told neighbours he’d stab them if pooch didn’t shut up

A yob threatened to rip a dog’s head off if it didn’t stop barking.

John Bromm lost the plot after claiming his neighbour’s pet had disturbed him and wouldn’t stop barking.

The 43-year-old also told the dog’s owners that he was going to stab them if their animal didn’t quieten down during his 30-minute outburst.

He pleaded guilty at Paisley Sheriff Court to acting in a threatening and abusive manner likely to cause fear and alarm and uttered threats of violence.

The court heard yesterday that Bromm’s rant, at Oliphant Crescent, in Paisley, started at around 1pm and escalated quickly.

Fiscal depute Masooma Jaffri told the court yesterday that Bromm launched his tirade against his upstairs neighbours Rachel Hines and David Finlay on January 29 this year.

She said: “It was around 1pm. Miss Hines and Mr Finlay were within their home address.

“The witnesses Hines and Finlay heard the accused shouting and swearing and uttering threats against Mr Finlay.

“Specifically he was heard to say, ‘Come on down David, I’m going to stab you’ and ‘I’m going to rip your dog’s f******g head off’. “‘I’ll f*****g shut that dog up.’” “The witnesses say this lasted around 30 minutes before police were contacted and attended.

“While police were within the witnesses’ flat they heard, what transpired to be, the accused shouting from his flat, ‘They are both f*****g liars.’”

Defence agent Jonathan Manson told the court that his client had concerns that his neighbours had a drinking problem and there was drug use going on in the flat below.

He said: “He has had a number of difficulties with these neighbours. He believes they are both alcoholics and that people were using drugs at the premises.

“They also have a dog which makes a considerable amount of noise. He has reported this on numerous occasions but nothing has happened.

“He is a law- abiding citizen normally but, on this occasion, he didn’t know what to do about it and started shouting and swearing at them.”

Sheriff Tom McCartney told Bromm that he would defer sentencing him for six months for good behaviour.

He said: “If I get a report at that time that you have been of good behaviour then that will have a significant impact on how this matter will be dealt with.”

Bromm, of Oliphant Crescent, Paisley, will return to court in October to learn his fate.