A CONVICTED killer threatened to kill neighbours because they were making too much noise.

David Kinloch, 35, then assaulted a police officer during the course of a journey to Dunfermline Police Station.

Sheriff Charles Macnair told him the threat he made would have been "treated more seriously" by the neighbours because everyone in the street seemed to know about his previous conviction.

He told the court: "A threat to kill from him is different. Everyone in the street seems to have been well aware of his conviction. It is common knowledge."

In 2008, Kinloch was jailed for six years for the culpable homicide of his girlfriend in Methil.

Sonya Todd died after a horrific, prolonged attack by Kinloch in which he hit her repeatedly with a dog chain.

In February this year, he was jailed for three-and-a-half years after threatening to stab a neighbour with a knife.

Appearing for sentencing at Dunfermline Sheriff Court on Wednesday, Kinloch, whose address on court papers was given as Lumphinnans Road, Lochgelly, had previously admitted that on January 20 last year, at Craigmyle Street in Dunfermline, and in the course of a journey between there and Dunfermline Police Office and then at the police station, he behaved in a threatening or abusive manner by shouting, swearing, uttering threats and striking the inside of a police vehicle repeatedly.

He also assaulted a police officer by kicking him on the hand to his injury and resisted, obstructed or hindered police officers in execution of their duty when he struggled violently with them.

Depute fiscal Azrah Yousaf said the offence took place at around 10pm when Kinloch's neighbours had been drinking and playing music.

After banging and shouting through the wall, he was seen in the street where he shouted: "I will f****** kill youse".

Police were called and he became aggressive when he was being put in the police van. On arrival at the police station, he refused to get out of the van and the aggressive behaviour continued. He kicked one officer on the hand and struggled with several others.

Solicitor Paul Parker-Smith said his client was currently serving a five years and three months sentence.

"It was a noisy-neighbour situation," he said. "Mr Kinloch was explaining about the noise his neighbours were making having a party in a block where soundproofing is not too good. He said he was shouting through and they were shouting back. He accepts he became angry."

Sheriff Macnair jailed Kinloch for a total of 110 days which will be added onto his current prison sentence.

"This was a dispute over noise but it was not late at night and it seems to me that your reaction was excessive, in particular a threat to kill by somebody with your record is going to be treated more seriously than perhaps from others," he said.

"You then committed a police assault. Assaulting police officers will not be tolerated by this court and you had only recently been placed on bail for something some 11 days before."