A CLYDEBANK man’s “inept” attempt to set fire to a bag full of household items at a property in the town has landed him a 12-month jail term.

Andrew Hendry opened the bag and set fire to its contents in the course of an incident at a house in Whitecrook Street in October 2015.

Hendry, 39, admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by opening and setting fire to the bag and its contents, swearing, uttering threats of violence towards a woman and repeatedly kicking a door.

He also admitted a count of threatening or abusive behaviour by shouting and swearing in the course of the same incident, and being in possession of a quantity of cannabis at the time.

And just four days after he was granted bail in connection with that incident, he breached a special condition of that bail by returning to Whitecrook Street.

Hendry, who was stated in court papers as being of no fixed address, appeared at Dumbarton Sheriff Court from custody on Friday after answering a warrant issued for his arrest in 2015 for the breach of bail.

Hendry’s solicitor Roddy Boag told the court that his client had been in custody for several weeks to enable social workers to prepare a report.

Mr Boag said: “You have the carrot and the stick; the stick being if he fails to co-operate, he’s off for a long, long time.

“I accept, and he accepts, that by disappearing he takes away a large measure of positive comment that could be made about his circumstances. The question is whether that means by itself that it removes entirely the possibility of a community disposal. My submission is that it doesn’t.”

Sheriff Gallacher replied: “This was an offence of the utmost gravity. The fact it was ineptly carried out is simply a feature of your client’s capacity at the time of the offence.”

Speaking directly to Hendry, the sheriff said: “Mr Boag is right that the court has to deal with the matter in terms of considering the other options that are available.

“This is an offence which justifies the imposition of a custodial sentence. The fact you were inept is no credit to you, and indicates only that you weren’t very good.

“The fact it was stopped is by good fortune.

“The reports give me some possibility of considering another option.

“That was an option where your willingness to comply had to be assessed, but when that was considered, you weren’t here.

“I do not have confidence an alternative to custody is one you with which you would be willing, able and fit to comply.”

Hendry was handed a concurrent three-month jail term for the bail breach.