A LOCHORE man took the law into his own hands when he saw youths running over the top of his van, parked outside his home.

It was the second occasion this had happened to Paul Glencross and on the previous occasion police took six hours to arrive.

With substantial damage being caused to his vehicle, the van owner grabbed one of the vandals and drove him off to hand him over to the police.

However, it was Glencross and not the vandals who ended up in the dock at Dunfermline Sheriff Court on Friday.

Glencross, of Oliver Street, admitted that on March 14 at Mannering Street, Lochore, he assaulted a 16-year-old youth by seizing him by the body, pushing him into a van and driving him to a police station, all to his injury.

Depute fiscal Kiran Uppal said the incident occurred at around 8.30pm after the youth had ran over the accused’s van.

“There was an exchange of words between them. The complainer apologised because he thought the accused was coming for him,” she went on.

“The accused then grabbed him by the body, dragged him into the van and drove off with him.

“At one point the accused told him they were going to the police.”

The depute said the youth sustained scratches to his neck in the incident.

Defence solicitor Andrew Robb said: “Mr Glencross became aware there were some people outside, jumping on his parked van.

“They were running over it and jumping on its roof and bonnet. The police later examined it and found there were footprints on it and dents on the roof of the vehicle.

“This had happened before and because of the demands on them it had taken the police hours to arrive, by which time everyone had left the area.

“This was, in the eyes of Mr Glencross, a citizen’s arrest. He thought he was within his rights to do this.

“The complainer knew the game was up. There is sometimes a police presence at the local community centre and CCTV shows the complainer going there with him. He knew he had done wrong.

“There were no police officers at the centre and he was then released. The intention was simply to take him to the local police station.”

Mr Robb said his client worked in the health and safety industry and this often took him abroad. However, because of this case he lost out on work and it had been an expensive process for him.

“He’s lost a good deal of money having to come to court because of this. He now accepts there is a public interest in not dealing with matters yourself and leaving it to the police.

“There were no threats, no violence, the aim was to take him directly to where there was a police presence. When police were not there, he was let free.

“He’s been told that unfortunately you cannot now do what was seen as appropriate in another generation and he accepts that. He’s been worried about this case and it’s been hanging over him for a long time.”

Sheriff Craig McSherry said: “Much as I’m tempted to comment, I won’t other than to grant you an absolute discharge.”

This means that even though the guilty plea was made, no conviction is recorded.