Terrified youngster finds Stenhousemuir offender walking around family home

Joseph Baxter, 27, assaulted a resident who refused to let him into his home and on another occasion a child found him wandering around their house.

Baxter appeared at Falkirk Sheriff Court last Thursday having pleaded guilty to assaulting a man – grabbing him by the body, putting him in a headlock and pulling him to the ground to his injury – at an address in Woodburn Road, Falkirk, on August 5 last year.

He also admitted threatening behaviour in Grangemouth Road, Falkirk, on March 23 this year and breaching his bail conditions in Ettrick Court, Hallglen, on May 3.

Procurator fiscal depute Sean Iles said: “It was 10.30pm and the witness was in his home address with his parents. There was a knock at the door so he went to see who it was and saw it was the accused and another male standing there.

"The witness told the accused he had the wrong address – the accused appeared drunk. The witness told him to get out of his house and tried to back him up to get him out of the door.

“The accused grabbed him and put him in a headlock, which caused them both to fall to the floor. The witness managed to get up and push the accused out of the door and then phoned the police.

"The accused told officers ‘I was really drunk and I can’t remember any of the incident – I’m sorry about that’.”

On another occasion Baxter turned up at another family’s home and let himself in.

“It was 3.30pm," said Mr Iles. “And the witnesses were in their home with their two children. The accused had walked into the house – one of the children saw him and said there was a male in the house she had never seen before.

"He was acting aggressively, shouting and swearing and was asked to leave. He sat down on the hall floor and kept shouting ‘no’. He then took out his phone and said he was going to get someone to come and get the witness.

"He then shouted at them ‘why are you chucking me out my house’.”

They managed to get Baxter out of the flat, but they saw he was still hanging around the common close. He was under the influence of drink or drugs and “appeared very irate”.

Martin Morrow, defence solicitor, said: “He has had some real problems in his life, some of which have been self-inflicted. He was trying to hide the fact he is illiterate. He comes from a travelling family.”

Addressing first offender Baxter, Sheriff Alison Michie said: “Your actions no doubt caused a significant amount of distress and fear for the people within their properties.”

She placed Baxter, 18 Tryst Road, Stenhousemuir, on a supervised community payback order for 12 months with the condition he complete 110 hours unpaid work within that period.