Drunk alarmed neighbours

On June 17, a householder in Wallace Brae Drive, Reddingmuirhead, was in his garage when he saw Graham across the road sitting down and taking his boots off.

When Graham then approached and tried to get into the garage, the startled man persuaded him to go away and called the police.

Falkirk Sheriff Court heard last Thursday that, earlier that afternoon, a woman had seen the 34-year-old standing outside and looking into her house in California Road, Shieldhill.

Procurator fiscal Graham McLachlan said: “At first she thought he was there to deliver something, but then she watched him from her conservatory at the back of the property trying to climb over a fence. She ushered him out of the garden and watched him walk away before calling the police.”

Graham, from 46 Main Street, Shieldhill, admitted being in both areas without lawful authority and when it could be reasonably inferred he intended to commit theft.

Defence lawyer Lynn Swan said Graham had been in a local pub earlier that day and had consumned a “significant” amount of alcohol.

She told the court: “There was an incident in the pub that meant he had to leave quickly. He accepts his guilt in this matter.”

Graham was placed on a two-year supervised community order and told to complete 120 hours of unpaid work in six months.