Ailing biker fined £300 for mallet threat on doorstep

Published on 13/06/2012 12:00

A MAN who uses a walking stick went on the warpath after his prized motorbike was stolen from his front garden.

Robert Brown, 46, grabbed a wooden mallet and went looking for the thief. Livingston Sheriff Court was told that he suspected one of his neighbours was responsible.

He went to his suspect’s door then chased him, shouting: “I’m going to have you”.

Brown – who has suffered strokes and has a heart condition – then pocketed the mallet and limped back to his own house.

The direct action got him a result, the court heard, because the person who took the bike agreed to pay him £60 in compensation.

But Brown of Bridgend, West Lothian, was yesterday fined £300 for behaving in a threatening and abusive manner.

He pleaded guilty to uttering threats of violence while brandishing the mallet on May 6.

Gerry Bann, defending, admitted Brown had “mishandled” the situation. He said: “He went to remonstrate with these people but he’s fairly feeble and he took the mallet in case he came off worst.”

Sheriff Donald Muirhead told Brown: “Going across to your neighbour waving a wooden mallet about is not acceptable behaviour.”