Probation for Broxburn man who wielded a baseball bat

Oct 9 2008 by Our Correspondent, West Lothian Courier

A DRUNK who was caught hitting a baseball bat off the walls of a close landing has been placed on probation.

Police were called to a block of flats on Greendykes Road, Broxburn shortly after 2am on April 12 this year.

When they arrived they heard loud banging coming from the shared close landing.

Gary Lammie was seen running down the shared landing with a baseball bat in his hand and into his own flat on the lower floor of the property.

The officers followed the 27-year-old into the flat and Lammie was seen to throw the baseball bat across his bedroom.

The bat was split in two, such was the force he had been hitting the close wall with it.

Last week at Linlithgow Sheriff Court, Lammie, whose address was given as 32 Greendykes Road, Broxburn pled guilty to the offence.

His solicitor, Gerry Whitten, told the court his client, who is unemployed, had a drinking problem.

Mr Whitten said: “The main problem for him is abuse of alcohol. It is a problem which started many years ago and continues to the present time.

“His ability to do what is required of him is limited by his alcohol abuse.

“Alcohol is the root of the problem here and it is only when that is addressed that he can look forward to a crime-free existence.

“He has a reasonable work record in the building trade and is attending a 30-week course to lean new skills to gain employment again.

“He is on probation at the moment and it is going reasonably well as I understand.”

Sheriff James Gilmour placed Lammie on probation for 18 months, extending his existing order by four months, and fined him £50 for his failure to turn up at an earlier court appearance.