by Craig Borland

A DALMUIR man’s visit to a neighbour’s flat just a few feet from his own home has landed him with a prison sentence.

Ryan Rainey’s visit to the flat in Clyde Court on December 27 was in breach of a curfew order requiring him to stay at his home address between 7pm and 7am each day – and saw him sent to jail for two months when he appeared in court for sentencing last week.

But when he’s released he will go straight on to a community payback order for a separate offence of being in possession of a Stanley knife and a screwdriver in the town in August.

Rainey, 28, appeared in court from custody on January 12 to be sentenced for a series of offences dating back to last July, when he demanded money, threatened violence and issued offensive remarks, and kicked a door at a property in the town’s Montrose Street.

Six weeks later he was found in possession of the knife and screwdriver without reasonable excuse in Dalton Avenue.

Outlining the circumstances of the December 27 curfew breach, Rainey’s solicitor, Kenny Clark, said police had gone to his client’s home shortly after 10pm.

“They knocked on the door,” he said, “but there was no reply.

“He then appeared in the doorway of a neighbouring flat, stating he had only just been in with his neighbours for 10-15 minutes.”

“At least he was not on the streets, though plainly he breached the order.”

Rainey also appeared for sentencing for another curfew breach – this one committed on January 2 – along with a charge of shouting, swearing, acting aggressively, striking his head off the cell of a police van, repeatedly threatening violence and threatening to stab police while in possession of a knife.

Sheriff William Gallacher said that on the first reading of the charges against Rainey he had wondered whether to “throw the book at him”.

He said: “I thought you were in serious difficulty. By the time I added up all these offences you were facing a very lengthy sentence.

“You have a number of convictions but have not served any significant custodial sentence at all. But you are absolutely on the cusp of that happening.

“I don’t think you really grasp the significance of that.”

For the December 27 curfew breach, Rainey was jailed for four months.

For the Stanley knife and screwdriver possession, he will be subject, on his release from that four-month sentence, to a community payback order with 15 months’ social work supervision, and will have to carry out two hundred hours of unpaid work within 10 months.

For the January 2 curfew breach, Rainey was told that sentence would be deferred for good behaviour and for him to comply with the community order on the other offence.

A review of the CPO will be heard at the court on April 6.

Sheriff Gallacher told Rainey: “If you are doing what you can to comply, I will not need to revoke the order.

“If you are arrested for something else I will impose consecutive sentences, and the starting point will be 12 months on each case.”