A TILLICOULTRY man unleashed a tirade of abuse after being ejected from a pub for playing football with the bar's Christmas baubles.

Ryan Keenan was with a group of colleagues celebrating a Christmas night out in Morrisons Cold Beer Company in Murray Place, Stirling, before he was asked to leave the bar.

However, he lashed out and told the worker: "I'll have you stabbed. I'm a gangster. I'll pay someone to have you and your kids dead in the morning."

Prosecutor Mrs Lindsey Brooks said Keenan said most of the group were described by the manager as "amiable" when asked to leave, but Keenan was "belligerent" and was shouting and swearing at her and making the threats.

She said when police, who were nearby, attended and spoke to Keenan he was "immediately abusive" to the officers.

On Monday this week, Stirling Sheriff Court heard he was arrested and taken to Falkirk Police Station where he made crude comments to officers and repeatedly used homophobic language.

He was searched and found to have a bag containing 0.4 grammes of cocaine, valued at £10.

Keenan, 33, a cable joiner, of Colliers Court, pleaded guilty to using threatening and abusive behaviour, and possessing cocaine on December 21 last year.

Solicitor Ken Dalling, defending, said Keenan's group had initially been asked to leave the bar because they had been "playing football with Christmas baubles."

He said Keenan, who had been drinking, was "appalled at his own foul and objectionable behaviour".

Fining Keenan £1040, Sheriff William Gilchrist told him: "This was clearly disgraceful.

"Your behaviour towards the manager, who was simply doing her job in asking you to leave – rightly so – was quite outrageous.

"For her to be met by these extremely unpleasant comments, observations and threats is completely unacceptable."

He added: "I'm dealing with this by way of a fine, but if you were to repeat this sort of behaviour in the future, you're likely to face a more punitive punishment."