by Craig Borland

A LONG-RUNNING dispute provoked a Clydebank man to brandish a baseball bat at his neighbour and tell him: “I'm going to wrap this round your face.”

James O'Neill used the bat to break the window of his neighbour's door after the row in Angus Street on April 3.

A court was told O'Neill and his family had moved house as a result of the dispute with Stephen Lyden, which had lasted for around six months before the April incident and was mostly driven by concerns over noise and the maintenance of property.

O'Neill, 32, of Jane Rae Gardens, appeared for sentencing at Dumbarton Sheriff Court on August 18.

Fiscal depute Laura Knox said: “On the day the accused's motor vehicle had been hit by another person, and the accused's mother was questioning that person.

“While doing that, Lyden became involved in that discussion and began mouthing off towards the accused, who was stood within his own property.”

Ms Knox said O'Neill had tried to ignore Lyden, but without success, prompting O'Neill to go into his own home, pick up the weapon and threaten Lyden with it.

O'Neill's solicitor, Steven Wight, said the incident had been provoked by Lyden, and that insults towards O'Neill's mother had caused his client to lose his temper.

“He was distraught with himself after what happened,” Mr Wight said.

“He phoned police and told them what had happened. He was very apologetic – he realised he had snapped after being put under a great deal of pressure from his neighbour.”

O'Neill's plea of not guilty to shouting, swearing and placing Lyden and his partner in a state of fear and alarm was accepted by the Crown.

Sheriff Gerry McMillan placed O'Neill under social work supervision for 18 months, told him to carry out 225 hours of unpaid work, and imposed a restriction of liberty order keeping him within his home from 7pm to 7am each day.

“I'm marginally persuaded that it's possible not to deal with this by way of custody,” the sheriff said.

“But this was outrageous behaviour, irrespective of provocation. I very seriously considered whether I should impose an immediate period of imprisonment.”