A VIOLENT Faifley thug taunted a young boy and branded his father “a loser” before terrorising him in a bizarre rampage.

Scott Luke, of Limekilns Street, poured cereal on to the floor of the kitchen and living room in the house he was in before mashing it into the surface.

Luke, 35, then filled a bottle with water and began flicking it on to the floor and at the nine-year-old and the boy’s mum.

He then taunted the boy and his mum with a towel which he put over their heads and pulled over their ears – before fetching a broom from the kitchen which he waved in front of them.

And he then used the broom as a weapon to batter the boy’s mum, raining blows on her with the household item.

Luke appeared at Paisley Sheriff Court last week to be sentenced for the events of July 15 this year.

He had earlier pleaded guilty to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner towards the nine-year-old and the boy’s mum, who both can’t be named for legal reasons, in breach of Section 38(1) of the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010.

He also admitted assaulting the woman with the broom at her home in Paisley.

Procurator Fiscal Depute Tom Bowman said an argument had broken out between Luke and the woman and continued while she was watching television with her son and another child in the living room of the property.

He explained: “The accused frequently came in and out, in close proximity to them, shouting and swearing at them and calling her names such as ‘a cow’ and ‘a junkie’.

“He stated, ‘his dad’s a loser’ – they were extremely fearful of the accused at this time.

“He began to pour cereal on to the floor and stamp it in to the floor in the kitchen and the living room.

“He then filled a bottle of water and began flicking it on to the floor and at both witnesses.

“Thereafter they observed the accused retrieving a grey plastic broom.

“The accused waved it in front of them and used the handle to hit the [boy’s mum] twice to the head and once to the shoulder with force.”

Luke left the room but returned a short time later with a towel which he had wound tightly.

Mr Bowman, prosecuting, added: “He placed the towel round the back of the child’s neck and held both ends and pulled it over his head and ears.

“He was then challenged by her [the boy’s mum] and said, ‘I’ve gone too far? You f****** have it, then.’ “He repeated it with force to her.”

The woman contacted police and Luke “began cleaning up the mess on the floor caused by the cereal and the water” as officers were on their way.

Defence solicitor Charlie McCusker said he had been drinking on the day in question and had “lost the plot” as a result of that and issues between him and his partner.

The lawyer added: “He lost control and he accepts that.”

Sheriff Seith Ireland could have caged Luke for up to 12 months for the offences.

But he opted to spare him jail and instead placed him on a community payback order (CPO).

The CPO will see him supervised by social workers for the next year and complete 165 hours unpaid work in the next nine months – and warned he could still be jailed if he does not comply with the CPO.

He was also made the subject of a non-harassment order, banning him from going to the woman’s Paisley home.