A FORMER soldier who claimed he had a shotgun and told a betting shop employee to give him money was sent to jail this week.

Jonathon Sinclair, 38, later told police officer it had been a "joke that had gone wrong" after being arrested for the hold-up at Ladbrokes in Dunfermline's Baldridgeburn.

However, Sheriff Craig McSherry said it was not a joke and jailed him for 16 months.

Sinclair, of Castleblair Park, appeared for sentencing at Dunfermline Sheriff Court on Wednesday after pleading guilty to a charge that he conducted himself in a disorderly manner at the premises on April 16 this year by stating to an employee that he was in possession of a shotgun, demanding money from him and committing a breach of the peace.

Depute fiscal Azrah Yousaf said Sinclair entered the shop and walked up to the counter and demanded money.

"The employee said he wasn't going to give him any money and he replied, 'I have a shot gun on me'," she told the court. "The employee activated the panic alarm and a phone call was received from Ladbrokes security and they advised the police had been called.

"He then went to a corner of the shop and proceeded to fill out a betting slip and, when another customer came in, he left."

Police apprehended him shortly after and he didn't appear to be in possession of a firearm.

When being told he was being detained for attempted robbery, Sinclair told them it should have been armed robbery as he had a shotgun.

He later told officers it was a "joke gone wrong" and that he didn't have a shotgun.

Defence solicitor Chris Sneddon said CCTV from the incident showed the interaction between the men. He said his client, who suffers from post traumatic stress disorder after serving in Kosovo, didn't seem to convince the employee that he was trying to commit a robbery.

"He had consumed a significant amount of alcohol and, to some extent, this explained his bizarre behaviour," he said. "He didn't seem to grasp the extremely serious nature of what had happened. When he sobered up, he did grasp the serious extent of the matter.

"It is clear he suffers from mental health problems as a result of his army service."

Sheriff Craig McSherry said the breach of the peace charge was "at the highest end" of the scale. He added: "It was not a joke and although the employee continued to stand there, what else he was to do I don't know.

"He did not report it as a joke as he called police to report the incident and even when you are detained by police officers, you still make an allegation that you have a shotgun with you."