A LOCHORE teenager who assaulted a community payback officer after he took exception to being asked to wear a high vis vest has been jailed.

Christopher Roberts punched the man while he was carrying out the unpaid work in Dunfermline and Sheriff Charles Macnair refused to give him another chance to prove he could behave.

Appearing for sentencing at Dunfermline Sheriff Court on Wednesday, Roberts, 19, had previously admitted that on August 24 last year at Fife Council premises in Dickson Street, he assaulted the supervisor by punching him on the head and knocking him to the ground.

He also plead guilty to a charge that on April 4, at a property in Kirkland Avenue, Ballingry, he behaved in a threatening or abusive manner which was likely to cause a reasonable person fear or alarm in that he shouted, swore, behaved in a threatening manner, demanded money and punched a door, causing damage.

Depute fiscal, Claire Kennedy, showed the Court footage of the assault which had been captured on CCTV.

"The complainer was speaking to Roberts regarding him not wearing a high vis vest as that is required by all staff when at the locus," she said. "Roberts had taken exception to the complainer advising him of this.

"A verbal altercation between the two took place and that can be observed on the CCTV and the punch was thrown."

During the later incident, Roberts, of Rosewell Drive, Lochore, had gone to the property to collect money which was owed to him.

Ms Kennedy added: "He immediately began shouting and swearing, shouting things such as "give me my f****** money". One of the complainers then gave over £10 and shouted "that's not f****** enough".

"As a result of the shouting and swearing, one of the complainers contacted the police and, at that point, Roberts screamed and punched a hole through an internal door between the hall and living room."

Roberts' defence solicitor acknowledged that his client was collecting money for a drugs debt.

"His view is that he was not earning anything from this – he was simply sourcing it and it was his money that was used to purchase it. The woman involved self medicates in the form of cannabis.

"I would ask the Court to give serious consideration to giving him one opportunity to express to the court that he is willing to change. "He is at a point of his life where he has to mature otherwise he is going to fall into the trap of reoffending and becoming angrier and angrier."

Sheriff Charles Macnair said because of Roberts' record and the serious nature of the offences, he couldn't see an appropriate alternative to custody.

"A supervising officer has an important job to do – and a difficult job – and they are entitled to the full protection of the court and assaults on them will not be tolerated under any circumstances," he said.

"As far as the April 4 offence is concerned, you went to collect a drug debt from the complainers and have committed this offence including damaging the door and you did that while on bail.

"The court will not accept behaviour of that sort in order to illegally collect illegal debts."

Sheriff Macnair Jailed him for 160 days for the assault and a further four months for the most recent offence.