Gesture yob gets another chance to pay up

An Uddingston yob who had made a gun gesture with his hand and uttered threats to shoot was last week given an opportunity to repay an unpaid £240 fine imposed for the offence two years ago.

Ryan Mccarroll (22), of Crofthead Street, had admitted a charge of behaving in a threatening and abusive manner at an address in Station Way on March 29, 2014.

He had repeatedly shouted, sworn and made a gesture with his hand in the shape of a handgun and uttered threats to shoot.

At Hamilton Sheriff Court in December 2014, Sheriff Douglas Brown fined Mccarroll £240 for the offence.

At the court last week, Sheriff Allan Mckay enquired into the reasons behind Mccarroll’s non-payment of the fine.

Mccarroll’s agent Andy Iles said his client had lost benefits and had been homeless.

Sheriff Mckay allowed payment of the fine to be made in instalments of £5 per week from February 1.

If the fine was not paid he told Mccarroll a custodial sentence would be imposed.

Mccarroll was also ordered to carry out 60 hours’ unpaid work for giving the name of another man to police officers.

He had admitted a charge of intent to pervert the course of justice – and with intent to evade arrest on an outstanding means enquiry warrant on the £240 fine.

Mccarroll had told officers he was Paul Mccarroll whose date of birth was July 31, 1989 when he knew this to be false in the village’s Laighmuir Street on Tuesday January 10

At Hamilton Sheriff Court last week, Sheriff Mckay imposed a community payback order as an alternative to a fine on the intent to pervert the course of justice charge.

It required that Mccarroll to carry out 60 hours’ unpaid work within three months. The term had been reduced from 90 hours’ due to Mccarroll’s guilty plea.