A BUCKFAST-SWILLING brute held a Port woman prisoner in her own home in a terrifying 1.30am attack — splashing vehicle fuel on her as he poured the accelerant throughout the property.

Violent Richard Doherty — previously jailed at the High Court for endangering a person’s life — also smashed his latest victim’s furniture with a metal baseball bat and threw two TV sets out of her window.

The 32-year-old robbed the woman of her mobile phone and at least £80 from her purse — all in front of her 13-year-old son.

Greenock Sheriff Court, pictured, heard how the lad had opened the front door to Doherty and another man in the early hours of 19 July after being awoken by ‘persistent banging’.

Doherty claimed he went to the property as he was concerned for the welfare of a child under the age of 12.

He said he was enraged after being told that the woman may have been dealing herbal cannabis and a legal high called ‘plant food’ from the property in Teviot Road.

But procurator fiscal depute Pamela Brady said she had ‘no evidence to either prove or disprove’ the allegation.

Mrs Brady told the court: “The complainer was asleep on a sofa in the living room and woke to find the accused standing over her holding a bottle of Buckfast. “He began to shout and swear and made reference to her having ‘parties’ in the property.

“The accused grabbed her mobile phone and began going through her contacts and was asked to leave.

“He responded by saying that he would leave when he was ready.” Doherty then went upstairs and returned with a metal baseball bat taken from the 13-year-old’s bedroom.

The court heard how be began striking items of furniture with it, including a glass display cabinet which smashed.

Fiscal depute Mrs Brady said: “He picked up two television sets and threw them out of a window.

“The complainer stood up and was immediately pushed back down onto the sofa by the accused, who told her, ‘You’re going nowhere’.

“He then demanded money. The complainer said that she did not have any and he swore at her and called her a ‘liar’ — then ordered her to get her purse.

“The complainer did so and the accused took a quantity of cash. He says it was £80, the complainer says it was more than that.” Mrs Brady added: “The complainer began to walk to the front door and asked to be let out, saying, ‘What more do you want?’ “There was a green-coloured fuel can in the hallway with a hydrocarbon mixture inside.

“It ended up in the accused’s possession and the contents ended up being distributed around the living room and hallway.

“The male who was with the accused became concerned and said, ‘Richie, Richie, let us out’.

“The accused opened the front door and left with the male.

“Some of the liquid accelerant had ended up on the complainer’s clothes.” After the terrifying ordeal the woman and her son left to go to a relative’s house.

The court heard how two police officers — who were in Teviot Road on an unrelated matter — noticed that the front door of the woman’s rented maisonette home was lying open.

They smelled what they thought was petrol and ventured inside to see the trashed living room.

Firefighters were also called out in the wake of a raft of complaints from neighbours about the strong smell of fuel.

Doherty — who was working at a shipyard in Fife at the time — was traced a few days later after a police search of his friend’s house yielded the baseball bat and the clothes he had been wearing.

Doherty pled guilty on indictment to abducting his victim, locking her front door, pushing her, detaining her against her will, threatening violence, demanding money and robbing her of a quantity of cash and her phone.

He also admitted malicious damage to furniture, fixtures, household items, throwing the TVs outside — and culpably and recklessly pouring a liquid accelerant throughout the property causing danger to life.

Doherty committed the offences just a month after being granted bail on another criminal matter in Glasgow.

Defence lawyer David Tod said: “Mr Doherty heard over time that the complainer was dealing in a legal high called ‘plant food’ and also herbal cannabis.

“He wanted to see the complainer’s phone contacts because of his concerns that she may be dealing drugs and he was satisfied that text messages confirmed his suspicions.

“He lost his temper.” Sheriff Ian Fleming jailed Doherty for two years — backdating the sentence to when he was initially remanded in custody on 29 July.

He said: “I take into account what has been said on your behalf and I am prepared to deal with this on the basis that it was an outpouring of anger and emotion by you.

“But the offences were singularly inappropriate and dangerous in their nature.

“I also have regard to your previous offending, including endangering someone’s life, which resulted in a High Court conviction.”