Baseball bat vigilante was wound up by bin-kicking ‘havoc’ gang

Drunk resident claims he had ‘the right to protect his home’

STREET ARREST

A Paisley man who was caught with a baseball bat in the street in the small hours of the morning claimed it was because he had“the right to defend his property”.

William Milroy was spotted by police in Paisley’s Brediland Road on March 9 with the weapon.

Cops saw the 39-year-old brandish the bat and wave it above his head.

Milroy claimed he had the bat because a “group of youths” were causing havoc and, when cops arrested him for being in possession of the offensive weapon, he stated: “I have the right to defend my property.”

The procurator fiscal depute told Paisley Sheriff Court: “Around 2.25am on March 9, police were on uniformed mobile patrol in the Brediland Road area and observed the accused.

“Milroy was on the pavement with a baseball bat, brandishing it above his head and waving it about.

“Upon observing the police, the accused dropped the bat and put his hands up in the air.

“Police stopped and approached Milroy and he was cautioned and charged to which he replied, ‘I have the right to defend my property’.

“He was arrested and taken to Greenock where he was processed in the usual manner.”

Milroy, of Brediland Road, admitted to being in possession of the weapon without “reasonable excuse or lawful authority”.

He was also subject to a court order at the time of the offence made only two days prior to the incident.

Defence agent Terry Gallanagh explained Milroy’s actions were “fuelled by misuse of alcohol”.

He added: “On the night in question, a group of youths had attended in the street and were causing havoc by kicking over communal bins.

“Mr Milroy spoke to them from inside of his home and asked them to desist but he was met with a tirade of verbal abuse.

“Due to his consumption of alcohol, he went outside and, by this time, they were gone. He never had any face-to-face interaction with these people.”

Mr Gallanagh stated Milroy “deeply regrets” his behaviour and recognised the “potential danger”, stating: “He recognises that he caused a danger to others and to himself. He recognises that matters like these are easily escalated when carrying a weapon and he also understands that his response to the police isn’t a right and that it only applies south of the border.

“He fully understands he shouldn’t have acted in the way he did and instead he should have called the police.

“A situation that likely wouldn’t have happened had he not been misusing alcohol.”

Sheriff Lindsay Kooner said: “The prohibition of carrying weapons is to protect the public and to protect you.

“You were very lucky things didn’t escalate.”

Sheriff Kooner placed Milroy on a structure deferred sentence and he was ordained to return to court on August 9 for sentencing.