A MAN jumped on to railway tracks after an axe was swung at him when he confronted an adversary.

Jack Bell from Helensburgh was waiting for a train when he pulled the axe from a plastic bag he was carrying.

The 21-year-old appeared from custody last Tuesday to be sentenced for the offence involving the weapon in Dumbarton railway station on April 7.

Bell, of Drumfork Court, had entered a guilty plea during an appearance at Dumbarton Sheriff Court on May 10 to charge of possession of an offensive weapon.

A not guilty plea to the charge of engaging in a fight on the station platform and on the railway tracks was accepted.

Procurator fiscal depute Jeanette Maclean outlined the details of the incident which happened took place around 11.50am.

She told the court that Bell had purchased the axe that morning and had been waiting on a train when he saw two men and a woman, whom he recognised them from a previous altercation, walking towards him in an aggressive manner.

The court was shown video footage from within the station in Townend Road.

CCTV images showed Bell entering the platform first and going up on to the platform.

It also showed two other men and a woman entering the station. They also made their way on to the platform before one of them spots Bell at the far end of the platform and makes his way towards him.

The footage then continues from a different camera angle but shows the two involved in an altercation before a train pulls up on the opposite platform.

The would-be assailant is then seen jumping on to the rail line to get away from Bell and crossing the line before clambering on to the opposite platform.

Defence solicitor Kirstene MacRae said in mitigation: “The CCTV is very much backed up by witness statements. He clearly approached Mr Bell.

"You can see from the CCTV which shows he is still standing on the same line but one of the other men approaches Mr Bell as if he is going to attack him.

“A shopkeeper says in his statement that he saw Bell swing something towards the first man and that he had heard the man say ‘you’ve nowhere to run’ and ‘I’m going to kill you’”.

The court also heard that Bell and his neighbour had halved for the axe after their landlord complained about the state of their garden.

Ms MacRae added: “He was asked during a police interview what it was for and he told them it was to chop down trees in his garden.

"Mr Bell admits he took it out of the bag and swung it. It was very spur of the moment.

“He understands that a custodial sentence would be first and foremost in your Lordship’s mind.”

The solicitor revealed that Bell had a troubled upbringing and asked Sheriff Simon Pender to consider a non-custodial disposal, saying: “In this situation your Lordship has the ability to engage him. He has had periods in custody and here we are back again.

"He is maturing and he knows that this situation can’t continue.

Sheriff Pender told Bell: “You have already served the equivalent of a three-and-a-half months sentence.

"In light of the circumstances but with considerable hesitation I have decided to impose an alternative to custody.

"Unless you take responsibility in your life you will spend longer and longer periods in prison.”

The sheriff imposed a Restriction of Liberty order meaning that Bell won’t be able to leave his home between 6pm and 6am each night for the next eight months.

He also imposed a community payback order with the conditions that Bell be supervised for the next two years and carry out 270 hours of unpaid work in the next 12 months.