An Alloa teen has narrowly avoided jail after pleading guilty to a number of serious knife crimes.

Michael Douglas, of Lewis Court, came within a whisker of Polmont when he appeared for eight separate charges at Alloa Sheriff Court on Thursday (26 March).

The 19-year-old was charged with multiple counts of carrying a knife, along with attempted theft, breach of the peace and drug possession.

Not guilty pleas were accepted for four other knife charges and one allegation of supplying cannabis.

However, the youngster was given a reprieve by Sheriff Richard Clark who instead handed him a Community Payback Order.

The first of the charges before the court libelled Douglas as breaking his own bail conditions when he attended a home on Lewis Court on 7 June last year before shouting, swearing and challenging one of the occupants to fight.

He then attended another property at Izatt Terrace, Clackmannan, on 23 November, and banged on the door and windows, demanding entry.

Douglas refused to leave without retrieving a bike he felt was inside and when the occupants leaned out of the living room window, he brandished a knife from his waistband.

Later that evening he was spotted in Alloa’s Mill Street by CCTV operators who observed him trying to open the doors of parked cars.

They watched him take a knife to the car door and thought he was trying to break in.

Police were called and when officers arrived on the scene, Douglas ran off towards a nearby wooded area.

Depute fiscal Marie-Claire Chaffey said: “The operators did not see him coming out of the woods and assumed he was still hiding in there.

“Police secured the area and dog handlers were called in. The accused was later traced and found hiding near and under growth.” Douglas then told police he had just over £100 of diazepam and cannabis on him before the dog handlers found a knife partially-concealed near to where he was found.

Kelly Howe, defending, told the court that her client would be better suited to a community disposal if he is to be diverted from further offending.

She said: “It is not lost on him, given the number and nature of these offences, that custody is at the forefront of the court’s mind today.

“However, he has engaged well with a previous CPO and does have a limited record of previous convictions.

“He also has genuine prospects of employment and that would go a long way to ensuring some stability in his life and prevent him from any further substance abuse and offending.

“It appears on the face of it that he has some serious unresolved issues in his childhood, but it may be better to help rehabilitate him in the community and not in custody.” Sheriff Clark said there were significant matters put before the court in the Douglas case and rose to consider his course of action.

When he returned to the bench after 20 minutes of deliberating, he told the teen: “The court must take into account your age, your record and whether or not there any alternative disposals which may be appropriate.

“When considering these matters, along with the time you have spent on remand, and I am satisfied that the most appropriate disposal here is a non-custodial one.

“It is clearly serious enough to impose a Community Payback Order which will take the form of 220 hours of unpaid work to be completed in six months and a supervision order of two years.

“Any question of non-full compliance may result in this order being revoked, which will almost certainly mean custodial sentence being imposed.” Sheriff Clark added: “You should understand that when you leave this court today that it is because you have been given an opportunity.

“You have run up a number of serious charges and you are being given that opportunity to make amends. You should take it.”