A DRUG addict left his former partner terrified when he went to her home in Balloch and tried to force open the door – in an argument over a pair of tracksuit trousers.

Paul Ferguson appeared in court for sentencing on Friday after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing to a charge of threatening or abusive behaviour.

Ferguson admitted behaving in a manner likely to cause her fear or alarm by uttering threats and shouting and swearing at the property in a block of flats at McColl Avenue on December 20.

Sentence on the 24-year-old had been deferred until Friday to allow social workers to prepare a background report on him, following an initial court appearance on December 21.

Fiscal depute Kara Watt told the court that Ferguson and the victim of his outburst had been in an on-off relationship for around five years and that Ferguson contacted the woman at around 11pm on December 19, asking to come round to pick up a pair of tracksuit bottoms.

Ms Watt said: “The witness had no issue with that, and said she would leave them within the common close.

“She then went to bed and slept until the following day.

“At around 1pm on December 10 she was within her home when the accused attended, chapped on the door and began shouting through the letter box that ‘I just want my trackies’, and ‘I’ll kick the f****** door in if you don’t answer it’.

“The witness shouted back that she would call the police but the accused then forced the door. However, the chain was on the door, which stopped it opening fully.

“The witness was extremely upset and scared and contacted police. The accused left the locus but was traced by police a short time later, and was arrested, cautioned and charged.”

Kenny McGowan, defending, admitted that Ferguson’s record of previous convictions was “a very poor one”, and said: “He has behaved in this manner before, and the result has been custody.

“But he presents today very much better than he did on December 21. He says he has obtained full time employment, and has made significant efforts to stay back from a network of people who appear before this court very regularly.”

Sheriff John Hamilton agreed to defer sentence to allow time for Ferguson, of Roman Crescent, Clydebank, to be assessed for a drug treatment and testing order (DTTO), an intensive programme aimed at rehabilitating people whose offending is linked to drug misuse.

Sheriff Hamilton added: “You’re now 24 – it’s time you began to address your offending behaviour and substance misuse. That has the potential to get you into trouble.”

Sentence was deferred until February 22.