A man who threatened to smash a hotel’s windows intended to get himself arrested, Oban Sheriff Court heard.
Josh Watt, 23, of 125 Wyle Crescent, Cumnock, was ordered to carry out 40 hours of unpaid community work over six months after pleading guilty to behaving in a threatening or abusive way likely to cause a reasonable person to suffer fear or alarm by shouting, swearing and refusing to leave a premises as well as threatening to damage property.
The roofer was staying at a hotel in Oban with workmates in April 2022 when trouble erupted and a night porter was alerted.
Watt’s defence solicitor Kevin McGuiness said it was his client’s workmates who started arguing first when they got back to the hotel after watching football at a pub. Watt had tried to be the peacemaker at first, the court heard.
But he was also under the influence of alcohol and so the whole situation deteriorated and all three were shouting at each other before hotel staff intervened and the police were brought in.
When Watt was told to leave the hotel by staff he shouted and swore, telling staff to call the police because he was not going anywhere.
“He had nowhere else to go, no funds and no idea what he was going to do if he was evicted from the hotel. His judgement how to manage the situation was greatly impaired by the alcohol. His intention was to secure arrest because he had no where else to go.
“He had no serious intention to damage the property,” said Mr McGuinness who told the court that Watt struck him as an intelligent, thoughtful young man who recognised that this sort of behaviour was totally unacceptable.
Mr McGuinness said Watt had never been in trouble with the courts until he was 20 when the sudden loss of his mother had a devastating impact on him.
“An element of recklessness crept into his behaviour,” said Mr McGuinness who added Watt also fell into a cycle of excessive drinking and taking drugs.
Watt was now in a long-term relationship that seems to be “the saving of him,” said Mr McGuinness. “He works hard and recognises that previous behaviour is totally unacceptable and is not how he sees his future.
“He apologises for the inconvenience to hotel staff. He is very optimistic he can demonstrate he has put that lifestyle behind him.”