Turning up tooled up in Denny: There's someone at the door and he's got a spanner

Peter McArthur, 50, was said to be involved with the “same female” as the man he began sending threatening messages to – branding him a “liar” and a “scumbag” and saying he was going to end up in hospital.

It seemed he intended to follow through on his threats when the man’s ring doorbell camera captured him standing outside his front door clutching a spanner and shouting at him to come outside.

McArthur appeared at Falkirk Sheriff Court last Thursday having pleaded guilty to threatening behaviour – repeatedly sending unwanted messages to a man – at an address in Head of Muir, Denny on January 25.

The court heard there was animosity between McArthur and the other man because they both had a relationship with the “same female”.

"It was 3.45am and the accused messaged the man repeatedly on WhatsApp,” said the procurator fiscal depute. “This continued until 9am. In the messages he was making threats to kill him, calling him a ‘liar’ and a ‘scumbag’ and telling him he would end up in hospital.

“He was told to stop messaging him or he would go to the police. Then at 3.40pm that day the man received a notification ibn his ring doorbell while he was out. The accused was at this door holding a spanner.

"He was shouting ‘get out here, get out – I’ll kill youse’ and ‘come and bang my door you hard man’. A neighbour told the accused to leave, which he did.”

McArthur later handed himself in at Falkirk Police Station.

Mark Fallon, defence solicitor, said McArthur was subsequently detained for 28 days under the mental health act.

"He wasn’t taking his medication at the time of the offence,” added Mr Fallon. “He is now back on it.”

Sheriff Craig Harris noted McArthur’s previous conviction for stalking the man and the fact he had gone to his door armed with a spanner.

He placed McArthur, 1 Maple Place, Dunipace, on a supervised community payback order for 12 months with the condition he engage with mental health services and completes 90 hours of unpaid work in that time.

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