A 27-year-old man who admitted a series of charges including police assault and threatening behaviour, has been given a chance by a Sheriff to turn over a new leaf.

Scott Garrity, of Springbells Road, Annan, was told by Sheriff Liam Murphy at Dumfries: “Reports before me indicate that you are starting to engage with a number of support agencies and this is something you must keep up.”

As an alternative to prison, Sheriff Murphy imposed a community payback order with conditions that Garrity be under supervision for 2 years, carry out 200 hours unpaid work and be under a curfew from 8 pm to 7 am for three months.

Garrity admitted that in March at Springbells Road in Annan he committed a breach of the peace, shouted and swore at police officers, repeatedly walked into tha path of oncoming vehicles and causing them to take evasive action to avoid hitting him.

The same day he also assaulted a special constable at nearby Shawhill Road and attempted to head butt him, assaulted another officer by attempting to kick him and at Dumfries Police Station assaulted a police sergeant by spitting at him and acted in an aggressive manner.

He was found guilty of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner at Latimer Road in Annan in April, attending at a house and repeatedly calling ouot to his ex-partner and making offensive remarks.

In addition he admitted that on April 3 at Dumfries Police Station and in a vehicle between there and Dumfries Infirmary he behaved in a threatening or abusive manner towards police officers, shouting and swearing and making threats of violence and at the police station assaulting an employee and spitting at him.

Other charges he admitted were behaving in a threatening or abusive manner at Kimmeter Square shouting and swearing and making threats of violence and struggling violently with police.