A HELENSBURGH man tried to bite a police officer while shouting sectarian slogan after he was removed from a Hogmanay celebration at a house in the town.

Martin Gilroy struggled violently, began shouting pro-IRA slogans and tried to bite one officer on the arm after he was told he couldn’t smoke in a police car.

But the 23-year-old, who was released from prison on an unrelated matter earlier this year, was spared a further jail term after a court hearing was told he had secured a good job and would shortly become a father.

Gilroy appeared in court on Friday for sentencing after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner within a parked police vehicle and at Helenburgh and Clydebank’s police stations on December 31, in an offence aggravated by religious prejudice.

He also admitted assaulting a police officer by repeatedly attempting to bite him on the arm.

Both offences were committed while the Old Luss Road man was on bail.

Scott Simpson, prosecuting, told Dumbarton Sheriff Court on Friday: “It appears Mr Gilroy started celebrating New Year early.”

Mr Simpson said police had persuaded Gilroy to leave the property in Old Luss Road, and that he had been compliant until he was placed in a police vehicle and tried to wind down the window.

Mr Simpson told the court: “Initially the accused’s intention in opening the window appears to have been that he wanted to smoke. He was told he couldn’t do that and from that point his entire demeanour changed.

“He struggled with police in the vehicle to the point that police had to hit an emergency response button.

“The behaviour as he arrived at the police office became worse and he started shouting ‘Up the Ra, Up the f*****g Ra’.”

Mr Simpson said Gilroy had made a further comment in Gaelic, “Tiocfaidh ar La”, which Sheriff John Hamilton translated as “our day will come”.

Mr Simpson added: “When he got to the police office he repeated ‘Up the Ra’ and shouted ‘F*** the Queen’ and made attempts, which were not very successful, to bite the police officer.

“Unsurprisingly he was not cautioned and charged. He was considered to be significantly intoxicated, which possibly explains all of this.”

Gilroy was detained in custody and appeared in court on January 2 in connection with the incident.

Gilroy’s solicitor, Gail Campbell, said her client had gone “off the rails” as a teenager despite a strong and supportive family background.

Ms Campbell said: “He is under no illusions that the court could take a very serious line, given his previous convictions.

“He received a custodial sentence in April this year but does seem to have made very significant attempts to turn his life around.”

Sentence on Gilroy had been deferred to allow social workers to prepare a background report – and after reading the report, Sheriff Hamilton said he was willing to give him a chance.

The sheriff said: “It seems Mr Gilroy has got to the stage where imminent fatherhood and a decent job have changed his outlook.

“Women and work are the two crime prevention focuses we have in this society.

“His behaviour was unacceptable and if it hadn’t been for the report, and the changes in his circumstances so far, he would be looking at a prison sentence.”

Turning to address Gilroy directly the sheriff said: “It would be very easy to jail you. I want to make it clear to you that when you come back in six months I expect there to be progress, and no further behaviour like this.

“If anything new comes up we will go back to square one. The ball is in your court.”

Gilroy was placed under social workers’ supervision for 12 months as part of a community payback order.

His plea of not guilty to a charge of giving police false details of his identity was accepted by the Crown.