A trouser-dropping Angus man has been jailed for his “terrifying” conduct in front of local supermarket staff.
Forfar Sheriff Court heard Joseph Bryden was involved in shocking incidents in separate shops on consecutive days last May.
He was under the influence of prescription medication and illicit drugs and could not remember anything about what happened.
Bryden, of Traill Terrace, Montrose admitted breaching the peace at Home Bargains in the town’s Brechin Road on May 4.
He behaved in a disorderly manner, pulled his trousers down in front of a female employee and threw a bottle at another worker.
The following day, at Scotmid in Newmanswalls Avenue, he committed another breach of the peace.
Defence solicitor Nick Markowski said: “Regarding the offence at Home Bargains, he has absolutely no recollection and this was just bizarre, intoxicated behaviour.
“He is in the store and behaving strangely. He was approached and said he was just out of hospital, then pulls down his trousers.
“There is no sexual element to it – he is disinhibited at the time by the effect of the drugs.”
Staff discovered him on the ground
He said Bryden had been lying outside the other shop “almost unconscious” at the time of the offence.
“Police and ambulance are called and,as he comes to, he accuses the staff of stealing from him.
“They were actually the people trying to help him.
“The behaviour is very, very poor but over the last six months he has been more stable and there hasn’t been any further offending.”
Sheriff Gregor Murray told 39-year-old Bryden: “Those employed in shops are entitled to have people enter the premises and behave in a sensible way.”
“You acted in a frankly bizarre and frightening way.
“You were on a community payback order and it failed.
“In those circumstances there is no alternative to a custodial sentence.”
He jailed Bryden for 135 days.
