AN ALVA man was punched and grabbed during a vicious attack by his female neighbour.

Orla Broderick admitted that on July 18, last year, at Southcroft, she assaulted the man, grabbed him by the body, pushed him against a wall and struck him on the face and thereafter grabbed him by the genitals.

Last Thursday, the accused, of Southcroft, appeared in the dock at Alloa Sheriff Court for sentencing.

Depute fiscal Ramsay Cunningham said at 10.50pm the man was in his back garden when he heard Broderick's voice.

She was making a comment about the man's dog.

The neighbour stood on a chair to look over the wall and speak to Broderick, asking her what was wrong.

There was further discussion about the dog and Broderick claimed to have CCTV footage which the man asked to view.

Broderick, 51, then went into the man's driveway and assaulted him, pushing against a wall and then threw a punch which struck him on the face.

On hearing the commotion, other residents came out to see what was going on.

They observed Broderick pinning the man against a wall, punching him then grabbing his testicles and shouting: "I'm going to rip these off".

The man shouted to his partner asking for the police to be called, added the depute.

Defence solicitor Charlotte Watt said trauma in her client's past had been exacerbated by the neighbour dispute.

"These court proceedings have also brought her difficulty and embarrassment," she added.

Sheriff Neil Bowie told Broderick: "You've started to come before the court at a somewhat late age, which is a sad sight to see.

"Whatever your difficulties, your descent into attacking your neighbour was totally disgraceful."

He imposed a community payback order with nine months of supervision and a restriction of liberty order for 40 days