A LOUT who tried to rip up beer garden decking after dropping a mobile phone between the slats has been jailed.

John Loughray, 30, marched across the road in a rage from the James Watt bar to a hardware shop and bought a hammer after being refused permission to wreck the outdoor flooring.

Police were called as he drunkenly attempted to prise open the deck with the tool whilst hurling foul-mouthed abuse at a female worker and threatening her with violence.

He later spat on an officer following his arrest over the bizarre disturbance, which occurred during a drinking session with pals on June 30.

Loughray, of School Road, Port Glasgow, is now set to miss his child's first birthday in September after being handed a six-month prison term at Greenock Sheriff Court.

His lawyer, David Tod, said: "Nobody is sorrier for this offence than Mr Loughray.

"There is a hardware shop directly across the street.

"The behaviour exhibited is bizarre — to go and buy a hammer and lift the decking."

Mr Tod added: "When the police came he put his hands out to be arrested. There is no indication that the hammer was going to be used as a weapon."

Prosecutor Joanne Gilmour previously told the court: "The accused then spat on a police officer, with the spit landing on the officer's body armour.

"He was verbally abusive, threatened to bite and not let go and stated, 'I'll remember all of yous'."

Loughray pleaded guilty to behaving in a threatening and abusive manner, wilfully and recklessly destroying or damaging property, threatening violence, spitting, making a homophobic remark and resisting six police officers.

Sheriff Derek Hamilton told Loughray: "It is the spitting charge that concerns me the most.

"The other charges can be described as bizarre behaviour.

"You do have a history with police officers and a history for weapons and violence.

"Spitting on a police officer is not acceptable."