A DUMBARTON woman with a “horrendous” criminal record has been locked up after unleashing a tirade of homophobic abuse towards a neighbour.

Janet McNulty was sentenced to 10 and a half months behind bars after she admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner at her home in Westcliff in March.

The 55-year-old committed the offence less than two weeks after being ordered by the town’s sheriff court not to contact, approach or communicate with the victim of her verbal abuse – making the offence a direct breach of a bail condition.

At the same court on Friday, prosecutor Sarah Healing said the incident happened after police were called to McNulty’s home address on the afternoon of March 31 to deal with a complaint of loud music from the property.

Ms Healing said the incident involving the neighbour happened at around 5.30pm that day, after police had left the scene, when he returned home from work.

She said: “The accused began shouting and swearing at the complainer, making comments such as ‘you grassing b******’.”

McNulty then directed a stream of offensive homophobic comments towards the man, who decided to call police when he got home.

When cautioned and charged, McNulty said: “I never done nothing son.”

Phil Lafferty, defending, said his client had “a formidable schedule of previous convictions”, but suggested that that a spell behind bars would not solve her underlying problems.

But Sheriff Simon Pender told McNulty: “You have a horrendous record. I do not necessarily agree that a custodial sentence would not provide you with the assistance you need.”

The sheriff imposed a six-month sentence for the principal offence and a further four-and-a-half months for the breach of a bail condition which was imposed on March 19.