A drunk found holding up traffic by walking down the middle of a busy road dodged a jail sentence today.
Daniel Pollock, from Cumbernauld, "got blootered" after splitting up with his partner, and decided to walk home to his mother's in Bonnybridge, Stirlingshire.
Prosecutor India MacLean told Falkirk Sheriff Court that police had received "numerous calls from members of the public in relation to a drunk male" and went to Glasgow Road, Dennyloanhead, also Stirlingshire, where they found Pollock "walking in the middle of the carriageway".
Miss MacLean said: "There were a number of vehicles behind him that had to take evasive action to prevent hitting him.
"He became argumentative with the police, shouting things such as 'what the f*** do you want?' and 'I've not done anything wrong'."
Police offered to take Pollock home, and he agreed, but when placed in the officers' van he began banging on the walls, headbutting the rear cage, shouting, swearing and uttering violent threats.
Miss MacLean said: "He was shouting things like, 'You think you're a f****** big man. I'll f****** shoot you. You're a p*** in a yellow jacket. I'll smash you -- just wait till I get out'."
He was then arrested, and made no reply after being cautioned and charged.
Pollock, 32, of Stonylee Road, Cumbernauld, admitted a statutory breach of the peace.
Solicitor-advocate Martin Morrow, defending, said: "He and his partner had split up, he'd been on drink, and he was wandering back to Bonnybridge because his mother stays there.
"The police offered to take him home, but they happened to have a van, so he was in the back. "He was so blootered he didn't realise why he was there, so he went from being a passenger getting a free lift home to the accused, shouting the odds.
"He was kept in custody till he sobered up, then he was shown the front door. He's very apologetic. He knows it's entirely his own fault, and the police were only trying to do him a favour."
Sheriff Christopher Shead sentenced Pollock to 80 hours unpaid work.
