A TULLIBODY man who literally washed a young boy’s mouth out for swearing has been placed under supervision for 12 months.

Alan McAviney appeared at Alloa Sheriff Court last week charged with twice assaulting the boy, who was of primary school age at the time.

In mitigation, his defence agent said the accused had been disciplined in a similar manner when he was younger, but now realises his actions were inappropriate.

On Thursday (November 12) depute fiscal Lindsay Brookes detailed two incidents which took place sometime between January 1 and May 11 of this year.

In the first case she said McAviney had “twisted the boy’s ear” because he refused to go back to his bedroom early in the morning.

Narrating the second incident, Ms Brookes said the accused had been telling the boy off for swearing before he “took him upstairs and squirted liquid soap into his mouth”.

The complainer later said the experience had left him feeling unwell.

He told his teacher about what had happened and the police were called in.

Ms Brookes said that during his interview, McAviney admitted squirting the soap in the boy’s mouth.

She said: “His explanation for it was that the boy was being a ‘wee s**t’ and was telling his mother to ‘f*** off’.”

When asked about the earlier incident he said the complainer had been “winding his brother up”.

Jim Savage, McAviney’s solicitor, said the youngster had been swearing at his mother and didn’t respond to being verbally chastised.

He added: “The background here is that this was the way discipline was when he was a child, but he understands that this is not an appropriate way to deal with children these days. He accepts [his actions] were wrong.”

The lawyer also said that any future risk of re-offending could be ably addressed by a community payback order, as recommended by the criminal justice social work report.

Sheriff David Mackie agreed with those suggestions and handed McAviney, 28, of Redlands Road, 12 months’ supervision.

He also fixed regular reviews for the 28-year-old and warning him that an alternative sentence would be imposed if he did not comply with the order.