A KINCARDINE man who brandished a bottle of anti-freeze at police after running away from them has been placed on a tag.

Despite having crutches and a leg brace, Gary Gillespie got away from officers before being cornered in a local garage where he picked up the liquid in a desperate effort to escape.

Appearing for sentencing at Dunfermline Sheriff Court on Wednesday, Gillespie, 25, of Toll Road, had earlier admitted that on September 2, at Kirk Brae, Kincardine, he behaved in a threatening or abusive manner towards police officers, took hold of a bottle containing liquid from within a garage and brandished it at them.

On August 30, at Lansdowne Crescent, Kincardine, he also acted in an aggressive manner towards his ex-partner, banged on doors and windows repeatedly, damaged a plant pot, threw soil over her car and entered the locus uninvited, shouted, swore and uttered offensive sexual remarks towards her.

Depute fiscal Dev Kapadia said police had stopped Gillespie and told him he was under arrest in relation to another matter.

"One police officer took hold of the accused to assist him into the back of the van," he told the court. "As he did so, the accused slipped the jacket and ran off. He was chased into an open garage and once he was in, he realised he had nowhere to go and he then picked up a plastic container of anti-freeze and brandished it at the police officers."

Several days earlier, his former partner had been in her home with a friend when she heard someone kicking the front door. She saw Gillespie, who then banged on the kitchen window. He then let himself in through the side door and started shouting and swearing at the woman.

After accusing her friend of having a relationship with his former partner, he left the property. Police were called and saw a broken plant pot at the side of the house and its contents across the bonnet of the woman's car.

Solicitor Alexander Flett admitted his client had a "fairly unenviable record".

He added: "His last substantive conviction was in August 2017 so he had made fairly significant efforts to try and turn his life around and stay out of trouble and avoid the attentions of the court before these matters arose.

"On September 2, he saw the police and panicked because he thought he had been accused of something that he didn't accept he had done because of the poor relationship between himself and his former partner. He entirely accepts this would not have been helped in any shape or form by his conduct.

"He has no wish to bring himself to the attention of the authorities in the future. He very much regrets his involvement in these matters and had hoped he had put this type of thing behind him."

Sheriff Alastair Brown placed Gillespie on a restriction of liberty order for six months. He also granted a non-harassment order for three years banning him from approaching, contacting or being in the company of his former partner.