A GREENOCK man who brought a knife to a bar fight after being assaulted in a town pub's toilets has been given a jail warning.

First offender Marc Few, 28, punched a pubgoer outside the Carnock Bar having earlier been at a family Christening event.

Few had retaliated after being randomly attacked by a group of men, the sheriff court was told.

He left the premises and returned hours later in possession of a blade, which was later found on a nearby street.

Procurator fiscal depute Alister Miller told a sentencing hearing: "On July 31, 2021, he [the accused] attended Carnock Bar after a family Christening.

"At around 9.40pm he became involved in an altercation and he and another male were ejected from the bar.

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"Few returned home, changed his clothes and returned to the bar at about 11.15pm to retrieve his suit jacket which he had left behind.

"He observed a witness talking to two males outside and ran at him and punched him once to the head with his right fist in an apparent unprovoked attack.

"He then began to retreat and was pursued. He made a motion to retrieve an item from his waistband and he was then kicked to the ground.

"Another person intervened and it was noted that lying next to him on the ground was a knife.

"It could only have been in the possession of the accused due to what had occurred."

Few, of Hope Street, made his way back home and reported to police that he had been assaulted at the bar that night.

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A witness the following night spotted the knife and reported it to police and after officers viewed CCTV footage Few was traced and arrested.

His solicitor, Aidan Gallagher, said: "It is clearly an incident out of character for this young man who has not offended since.

"It is not an excuse but clearly alcohol has affected his decision making.

"He accepts that he has drank to excess.

"He was attacked by three men in the toilet and he does not know why. Nothing came of it.

"He leaves the pub, realises his suit jacket is still there, and in stupidity, he has taken a knife for protective purposes. He does not intend to use it."

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Mr Gallagher added: "There was a further incident outside after he punched the individual.

"Quite an amount of summary justice was inflicted upon him by way of an attack when he is kicked on the ground."

Imposing a direct alternative to a custodial sentence, Sheriff James Varney told Few: "I am sure it is absolutely clear to you as a first offender that you should not be presenting yourself with a knife in Inverclyde or anywhere else.

"If I see you back here in relation to a similar charge it will be custody that is imposed."

Few must complete 160 hours of unpaid work in the community within a year, while he will also be under the supervision of the criminal justice social work department for the next 12 months.