A MAN who terrified the residents of a Greenock house by trying to kick the front door in has been told he's 'lucky' to be hit with a heavy fine.

Ross McGartland turned up at the property in a rage at 1.25am and began hurling abuse at the startled occupants whilst forcefully kicking the door.

The town's sheriff court heard how his booze-fuelled violence sparked a string of 999 calls to police as the householders feared that the 25-year-old would get inside.

Prosecutor Hazel Emmerson said: "One witness was in the living room and one was upstairs in bed asleep.

"Fearful of the force with which the accused was kicking the door, one witness tried to put his full body weight against the door.

"The witnesses, in fear for their safety, made two emergency calls to police."

McGartland, of Auchmountain View, later struck his head against the window of a moving police car and lashed out with his feet so aggressively that the driver was forced to stop and help his colleague.

But the dad-to-be was so out of control that reinforcements had to be called in to to deal with him.

McGartland admitted toe behaving in a threatening and abusive manner likely to cause a reasonable person to suffer fear or alarm.

He committed the offence at an address on Leven Road and within the police vehicle on March 4.

Fiscal depute Mrs Emmerson told the court that McGartland 'could give no coherent explanation' for being at the semi-detached house.

Defence lawyer David Tod said: "Mr McGartland's recollection of these events can't even be termed as sketchy. He remembers waking up in a cell."

Mr Tod said that his client is a time-served bricklayer who works full-time and is due to become a father in September.

Sheriff Thomas Ward told McGartland: "You'll be fined this time. You won't be so lucky next time."

The sheriff ordered him to pay £500 at a rate of £50 per week.