A DALMUIR man who threatened to carry out a knife attack on a neighbour in his high-rise block has been spared jail.

Andrew McKeown said the neighbour would be “getting bladed” when police went to the door of his Dalmuir Court home over reports of a disturbance.

The 47-year-old appeared in court on Friday after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing to a charge of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner likely to cause fear and alarm by shouting, swearing, threatening violence and making offensive comments in the incident on January 13.

Fiscal depute Ian Meacock told Dumbarton Sheriff Court that police had been called to the block at 6.30pm and found both McKeown and his partner drunk at the flat.

McKeown claimed a neighbour was “coming to kick the door in”.

Mr Meacock said police had found nothing to substantiate the claim, but that McKeown had shouted that if anyone came through the door, he would stab them.

“Police warned him,” Mr Meacock said, “but left the locus before 7pm.

“At 8.15pm there was a further 999 call requesting assistance at the address. Four police attended and heard the accused shouting from behind the door ‘if that’s the neighbour he’s getting bladed’.”

McKeown’s partner opened the door and police warned McKeown about his language, to which he replied ‘get to f*** out of here’, prompting police to arrest him.

While he was being searched a small quantity of herbal material, which later tested positive as cannabis, was found in one of his pockets.

McKeown’s solicitor told the court: “He isn’t happy with his conduct and accepts the description of events we have heard.

“There appears to have been some misplaced perception of how to defend his partner against what he deemed to be some kind of threat from elsewhere.

“These were threats he never intended to materialise into anything else. He expressed his sincere regret and has apologised.”

The lawyer said McKeown had voluntarily attended a local support service after realising the role alcohol played in his difficulties.

Sheriff John Hamilton told McKeown: “You have an unenviable record including a history of violence, breaches of the peace, section 38s [threatening or abusive behaviour] and assaults.

“Whatever was going through your mind that day it could well be inferred that you are a person who intended to carry out these threats.

“But you’ve never had the jail, remarkably, and you also seem to have demonstrated some insight into the causes of your behaviour.

“In the circumstances I’m not going to jail you.”

As an alternative to custody, McKeown was handed a community payback order which will see him under social workers’ supervision for the next 12 months. He will also have to carry out 180 hours’ unpaid community work.