Thug warned: It’s unpaid work or jail

Sheriff raps yob after he ignored court order

A violent yob who flouted a court’s punishment order has been rapped by a sheriff.

Robert Muir, 29, battered a man in Paisley’s Glenbrittle Way, even trying to hit him with a bottle during the attack.

Muir also kicked in a door, breaking the glass, as well as shouting and bawling abuse during the rampage.

The lout, of Castle Gait, Paisley, pleaded guilty to charges of assault, public disorder and vandalism and was handed a Community Payback Order.

Paisley Sheriff Court heard Muir had “simply ignored” the order when he appeared for a review of his conduct before Sheriff James Spy, who had read detailed reports about the accused.

Defence agent Tony Callahan explained Muir was admitting a breach of the punishment and urged the court to give his client another chance at turning things around. He said: “Thing have gone off rails. “He admits a breach of the order. He had performed 81 of the 200 hours of unpaid work.

“But he has stopped doing them for no apparent reason.

“He had been working well but then he prioritised his own job over doing the work required by the order.

“He has shown a high degree of immaturity.

“I have spoken to him about the consequences of breaching the order.”

The lawyer admitted Muir had also paid nothing in respect of the vandalism charge following the incident, which took place in October last year.

Sheriff James Spy said Muir faced a “stark choice” of either sending him to prison or punishing him by imposing a new order.

He said: “This is a stark choice for me in terms of this report. But what I will do is revoke the order today and impose a new one.

“This will be 15 months supervision by the social work department and 200 hours of unpaid work.

“You will lose the 81 hours you have already done.

“That is the penalty you pay for breaching the order, and you will do the work in 12 months.”

The sheriff added: “If you don’t do the work, you will go to jail for nine months.”

Muir was also ordered to start paying the £136.84 he owes on the vandalism rap.