A COWDENBEATH man who swung from a cable on the Forth Road Bridge has been jailed after removing a restriction of liberty tag during the summer .

Darren Petrie caused traffic havoc and stopped shipping in the River Forth with his antics in January, Dunfermline Sheriff Court heard, and he was given a nine month restriction of liberty order in March.

He had previously admitted that on January 22, at the Forth Road Bridge, he behaved in a threatening or abusive manner. He returned for sentencing on Wednesday.

During the narration at the previous hearing of what had happened in January it was revealed that Petrie, 28, of Tulloch Court, had become very upset over child contact issues and had gone up on to the Forth Bridge on a cold dark night.

Petrie had clambered on to a suspension cable and then crossed over to the central beam before swinging from a safety cable. He stood on the main suspension cable of the north tower causing all south bound traffic to be stopped then moved over the central support beam forcing north bound traffic to be stopped.

The shipping channel below had also to be closed.

Shortly after he began swinging from a safety cable and he later came down from the structure. Police were on the scene and apprehended him.

The previous hearing heard that Petrie had become concerned about a former relationship and child contact.

OnWednesday Sheriff Craig McSherry heard that following the imposition of the nine month restriction of liberty order Petrie had decided to remove his tag in June.

The Sheriff told him that he had imposed a restriction of order on March 30 to run until December 30 but within a matter of weeks he had removed the tag somehow thinking it was over. In the circumstances he decided to jail Petrie for six months.