Menace who made chilling threats to witnesses is jailed

A bully who tried to scare trial witnesses out of giving evidence against him has been caged for 14 months.

David Roach, 32, was told the only way of dealing with him was to lock him up because the charges were so serious.

Roach, of Elderslie, burst into the witness room and made threatening gestures against Stephen Docherty and Natalie McTiernan.

He was facing trial accused of hurling an unknown object at their car as they drove through Paisley in July, 2019.

On the day of the trial in February last year, he swaggered into the witness room, stared at them and made a chilling gesture by running his finger along his throat.

His threats left the witnesses unable to give evidence, but he claimed he was only looking for the toilet.

He appeared from custody at Paisley Sheriff Court for sentencing after pleading guilty to attempting to pervert the course of justice.

He also admitted leaving the duo fearful after hurling an object at their car.

And he accepted responsibility for another charge of breakinge conditions of bail by attempting to contact the witnesses.

The court had requested background reports ahead of handing him his punishment.

Defence agent Kirsty McGeehan said her client had recently lost his mother and was unable to attend her funeral after he had “gone missing”.

She said: “He was advised his mother had died, but he had gone missing. A warrant was granted and he answered that warrant on March 31, this year.

“He did not attend his mother’s funeral and that is perhaps an indication of how difficult it has been for him.

“He has never had a sentence of imprisonment as the majority of his record refers to road traffic matters and drugs misuse, although one matter was at solemn level.

“I would ask the court to take into account the considerable amount of time he spent on remand and that he was then subject to a bail curfew.”

Sheriff Tom McCartney told him the only suitable sentence he could impose was one of custody.

He said: “The serious nature of these charges, combined with your record of previous convictions, has led me to conclude that there is no suitable alternative other than a sentence of imprisonment.”

He handed Roach a total of 14 mont h s , re d u c e d f rom 18 months, because of his pleas of guilty.