A MAN who was caught hanging around outside a Balloch nightclub while wielding a metal scaffolding pole has been given the legal equivalent of a slap on the wrists.

Steven Fletcher was spotted by a member of staff at Desire standing on the pavement holding the weapon while employees at the Balloch Road premises were closing up.

Police were called to the scene on December 15, 2019 and the 33-year-old was taken to Clydebank police station where he was cautioned and charged.

Fletcher appeared at Dumbarton Sheriff Court last week for sentencing on the charge of possessing an offensive weapon – but also on a much more recent offence of being drunk while driving a child’s motorbike in Helensburgh.

The court was told Fletcher had been stopped by police on East Clyde Street in Helensburgh on January 15.

Officers noticed a smell of alcohol and Fletcher admitted he had been drinking; he failed a roadside breath test, and was taken to Clydebank police office, where a further sample was provided with a reading of 82 microgrammes of alcohol in 100ml of breath.

The legal limit in Scotland is 22 microgrammes.

Referring first to the Balloch incident in December 2019, Scott Adair, defending, said: “Mr Fletcher was quite frank and asked for this matter to be resolved.

“In regards to the other matter, it was a small child’s motorbike that he was doing up and getting back up running again and had been working on it through the course of the day.

“He drove it down the road to check everything was operational.

"He accepts that he had been drinking earlier on in the day. He realises the stupidity of his actions.”

Sheriff Linda Smith admonished Fletcher, now of Lomond Street, Helensburgh, on the nightclub incident, but disqualified him for 12 months and fined him £300 for the drink-driving offence.

The fine must be paid at £25 a week.