Admits abuse in street

A drunken east Perthshire man was seen disrupting traffic in a busy Perth street.

Parents walking their children home from school were also alarmed after 20 year-old Owen Leitch was seen staggering in front of cars.

But when he was traced by officers, he unleashed a volley of abuse and started head-butting the inside of their van after he was arrested.

The accused, of High Street, Burrelton, was ordered to complete a further six months on the Right Track scheme, designed to keep younger people on the straight and narrow, when he appeared at Perth Sheriff Court.

He admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner in the Fair City’s Scott Street on November 21, 2019.

He also acted in an aggressive manner and made offensive remarks which were aggravated by prejudice relating to disability.

The court was told that police received“multiple calls”from members of the public after Leitch was seen disrupting traffic.

He had a cut to his nose and forehead, which appeared to have been caused by him falling to the ground.

“Police had to hold onto him to stop him falling over,”explained the fiscal.

He ignored warnings to calm down and when put in the back of the police vehicle he“started to head-butt the inside of the cage.”

Local lawyer John McLaughlin told the court that although the accused was still using alcohol he wasn’t drinking as much as he did in the past.

He had missed a few of his Right Track appointments but was still carrying out unpaid work.

Continuing the Right Track, Sheriff Neil Bowie told him:“You have undertaken a considerable number of hours of work and it would appear to be the proper focus to give you assistance in staying out of trouble.”

He warned the accused not to miss any further appointments and said his progress would be reviewed again at his next court appearance on December 15.