Prison dodge for all shook up lout

A heartbroken boyfriend has been spared jail after going on a drunken rampage sparked by the loss of his horse, Elvis.

William Moran and Francine McDonald were in a relationship for 36 years before they split last year.

The couple were the proud owners of several snakes, dogs and horses - including Elvis, which had its own Facebook page.

And memories of their romance, and losing contact with the animals in the ‘divorce’ proved too much for Moran around Valentine’s Day this year.

As Moran, 48, struggled to deal with the break up, he got drunk on a strawberry and cream liqueur.

Paisley Sheriff Court heard he damaged property, was caught drinking in the street, acted aggressively and shouted and swore at police officers.

He committed the offences on February 15 - just days after he’d been released early from a previous sentence - in his home town of Paisley.

Last month, at a pre-trial hearing, Moran pleaded guilty to three charges - vandalism, drinking in the street and behaving in a threatening or abusive way.

Defence solicitor James Arrol said: “This is certainly not the crime of the century.

“When the relationship broke apart, he lost some contact with the animals as well, which has come to him at a great cost.”

Prosecutor Victoria Keel explained: “Police were requested to attend Fulbar Road in order to trace an intoxicated male walking dangerously on the road.

“On attendance, police witnesses observed a male.

“He was later identified as the accused and was holding a bottle of Strawberry and Cream Sidekick, which is 14.5 per cent, and he was actively drinking from it at the time.”

Ms Keel added that Moran had been seen ripping the petrol cap off a grey Mini Cooper and throwing it away, before yelling, “Go f*** yourself, you’re all f****** c****”.

At a previous hearing, Sheriff James said he would have caged Moran, who has a long record of previous convictions, for the offences.

But , after studying background reports, and taking into account Mr Arrol’s comments, he placed Moran on a Community Payback Order (CPO).

The CPO will see him supervised by social workers for 18 months, and he also has to pay £150 in compensation to the owner of the Mini.