An itinerant world traveller who crept into a holidaymaker’s lodge to use her shower and sleep in her bed has been told his punishment will be to stay in Perthshire.
Backpacker Michael Green has been moving from country to country for years, never staying in one place for more than a few weeks.
A disastrous visit to Scotland to seek work during the lambing season, however, will see him forced to consider a lengthier stay to meet the terms of his court ordered punishment.
After an “incident” in the South Pacific territory of New Caledonia, Perth Sheriff Court heard Green had decided to make Perthshire his next destination.
He arrived in Scotland hoping to secure work during the lambing season but was unsuccessful in his attempts to gain employment.
Instead, he began to live off the land — though solicitor Paul Ralph accepted his client had “taken a few liberties”.
Those liberties saw the 35-year-old slip into a lodge at the Blairgowrie Holiday Park on March 25 this year to use its facilities.
The female occupier returned home some hours later to find Green sleeping off what appeared to be a heavy day’s drinking.
He had also used her shower and appeared to have pocketed cigarettes and a box of matches.
Frightened and unsure of what to do, she called park staff who attended almost immediately and they called the police, though by that time Green had disappeared.
He was traced nearby a short time later and prior to a search admitted that he was carrying a knife in his rucksack.
Mr Ralph said: “Mr Green lives a transient lifestyle and has travelled all around the world as a backpacker.
“He wishes to apologise to the woman who was staying in the lodge and who he frightened.
“He had come to Scotland to seek work during lambing season but was not successful.
“He was living off the land and he was taking liberties.”
Sheriff Gillian Wade said she was willing to deal with the matter by way of a community payback order, which would require him to stay in Scotland.
Mr Ralph said his client “needed to establish some roots” and was keen to stay-on to take advantage of the fruit picking season.
He added that his client had spoken to Perth and Kinross Council about seeking accommodation.
Green, of no fixed address, admitted behaving in a threatening and abusive manner by entering the lodge uninvited and using the shower and bed.
He also admitted stealing cigarettes and matches and being in possession of a knife.”
Sheriff Wade told Green: “This is a difficult matter to deal with.
“I do not believe that you committed this offence with any malicious intent but clearly this must have been alarming and upsetting for the woman who came back to her lodge and found you there.”
She imposed a community payback order requiring Green to be under supervision for 12 months and carry out 120 hours of unpaid work.
