A MAN who shouted “mon then” as he swung a garden rake at police officers has avoided being sent to prison.

Alan Wilson, 34, was out drinking with friends and returned to his Arden home on December 14 last year.

However, his partner refused him entry due to how drunk he was. He then attempted to get into his mum’s home, in Pollok, who also refused him entry.

The court heard: “Police were contacted. Officers attended and observed the accused within the garden with a garden rake in his hand.

“Officers approached the accused, and he swung the rake shouting ‘mon then, get yourselves to f**k, ya bunch of dirty p****s, you better not come anywhere near me’.

“He was instructed multiple times to drop the rake. He repeatedly swung the rake before dropping it. He was arrested and conveyed to Cathcart police office.”

Wilson appeared at Glasgow Sheriff Court on Wednesday after previously pleading guilty to attempting to strike officers on the body with the rake and behaving in a threatening and abusive manner by shouting, swearing, and uttering offensive comments.

Glasgow Times:

His lawyer explained that his client struggles with alcohol.

The defence solicitor added: “When he drinks, he gets himself into trouble. He had been socialising with friends and fell to pressure and clearly drank far too much.

“He knows it’s not an excuse for his behaviour but that’s the explanation for why he behaved in that way.

“When he is sober, he is a respectable father. He is in full-time employment. He has not had a drink at all since the incident and intends to continue with that.

“Between him and his partner, they have five children, three of them live in the house and they financially depend on him.”

Sheriff Paul Brown ordered Wilson to be of 12 months supervision and stay within his home address between 7pm-7am every day for six months.

The sheriff told him: “You are a bit old to be succumbing to peer pressure. You’ve put yourself in this situation where you are coming towards the threshold of a custodial sentence, and you have children who depend on you. I do think there is an alternative to custody, but it is an alternative.”