A DRUNKEN lout who yelled racist abuse and threatened to burn down a shop has been spared jail.

Shaun McGartland, from Greenock, was sentenced at Ayr Sheriff Court last week.

The 42-year-old had previously pleaded guilty to a charge of racially aggravated threatening behaviour at an address in Boswell Park on August 6, 2022.

McGartland, of the town's Wren Road, returned to court to find out his punishment after sentence was initially deferred for background reports.

The procurator fiscal depute told the court: “Police witnesses were traveling in a marked police vehicle and were flagged down by a member of the public.

“The accused was further down the street, being a nuisance in the area.

“He went to stand in the middle of the road blocking traffic and was asked to move.

"He then began shouting and swearing at police and a member of the public.

“He was asked to desist but refused. Handcuffs were applied and he shouted ‘P**i b*****d’.

The accused was placed in a cell van and as he was conveyed to the police office he shouted racial slurs.

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He added: “I’ll burn that P**i shop down”, but it was not specified which premises he was referring to.

McGartland – who committed the offence just five days after being made the subject of a bail order at Greenock Sheriff Court – was eventually cautioned and charged but made no reply.

Defence solicitor Ian Gillies said: “He is now 42, single and living in Greenock.

“He is separated from his wife, who resides in Ayr, but the relationship is well and truly over.

“He had taken a lot of alcohol and cannot remember much."

McGartland was made the subject of a community payback order with 12 months of social work supervision.