AN ARREST warrant issued for a man who failed to turn up for his sheriff court trial wasn't enforced by police for more than two-and-a-half YEARS.

Officers tasked with bringing in Leigh Henley in January 2018 didn't finally apprehend him until last week — despite him never moving away from his Port Glasgow home.

Sheriff Joseph Hughes expressed astonishment at the situation after being told that the original allegation against dad-of-three Henley dates back to 2016.

The lawman said: "It's amazing that someone could be at a fixed address and not be arrested for two-and-a-half years."

It also emerged during the course of a custody hearing at Greenock Sheriff Court that Henley had completed only 90 minutes of unpaid work for a separate criminal matter.

The 31-year-old, of the Port's Highholm Street, had a warrant issued for him on January 17 2018.

Police arrested him on September 1 — 958 days later.

Procurator fiscal depute John Penman, reading from official papers available to the Crown, told the court: "Attempts were made to arrest him in 2018 and then it ends in February 2018."

Henley admitted the breach of the community payback order (CPO) and maintained a plea of not guilty through lawyer Ellen Macdonald for the pending matter against him, which contains three charges.

Ms Macdonald said that her client had been arrested from the home he has constantly shared with his family throughout the intervening period.

Henley is charged with assaulting two shopworkers at the New Best Cellar newsagent on Greenock's East Crawford Street on November 1 in 2016.

It is alleged that he punched one of them on the head and pushed the other.

Henley is said to have returned to the shop the following day and behaved aggressively towards the pair by shouting, swearing, making threatening remarks and gesticulating at them.

Sheriff Hughes allowed him bail on condition that he adheres to a 6pm to 6am curfew.

The case is due to call again on November 17, ahead of the trial scheduled for December 14.

Sentence on his CPO breach has been deferred until October 14 for a background report to be compiled.

Chief Inspector Debbie Reilly, area commander for Inverclyde, said: "Police Scotland can confirm they were in possession of a warrant for a named individual in January 2018.

"The warrant was issued as he failed to attend court on a date that was known to him.

"The last known address provided by the courts to the police was incomplete and we were aware of other addresses where he could have resided.

"Numerous enquiries were carried out throughout this period and eventually he was traced and arrested."