Drumchapel crook John McEwan had to be pulled to safety and given first aid by a copper he had been running from just moments earlier after getting into difficulty during his failed escape attempt last month.

Prosecutor Malcolm Macleod told Dumbarton Sheriff Court that 27-year-old McEwan, who was on licence at the time of the offence, came to the attention of cops after they received a call about him acting suspiciously.

Cops found him rummaging through the glove box of a car in Jowitt Avenue, Linnvale, and after spotting them, he attempted to make off from them by running towards the near-by Forth and Clyde Canal and jumping in to the water.

However, he was seen to be struggling to swim and eventually became submerged in the canal.

McEwan was eventually rescued by one of the officers who dragged his unconscious body back on to dry land.

Once at hospital a set of BMW keys were found in his possession along with a screwdriver.

On Wednesday McEwan appeared in the dock at Dumbarton Sheriff Court and admitted to stealing a car from Hood Street (pictured) and entering and attempting to steal from another vehicle in Clydebank on June 6.

Sheriff Duncan Murray ordered McEwan to be returned to prison in order to serve the remaining 545 days of a previous unexpired jail sentence before serving another year behind bars.