A Menstrie man, who neglected and starved his dog, avoided jail and was given unpaid work instead - but he has not been doing it.

As a result, 33-year-old Michael Nesbitt, formerly of Stenhousemuir, now of East Main Street, Menstrie, appeared in the dock at Alloa Sheriff Court.

Defence solicitor Charlotte Watt said Nesbitt was unable to do the unpaid work “because of his mental health”. She said he suffers from “extreme anxiety and PTSD” (post traumatic stress disorder).

“It’s not been a blatant disregard for the unpaid work, it’s been a genuine struggle,” she added.

Sheriff William Gilchrist imposed a new community payback order with six months of supervision and a three-month restriction of liberty order.

Nesbitt and his partner Rebecca Ward were originally sentenced at Falkirk Sheriff Court in May last year.

They neglected the animal so badly over a period of 10 months that it lost hair and developed a number of sores on its body.

The couple admitted to causing unnecessary suffering to their dog Zeg at an address in Stenhousemuir between June 11, 2020, and April 24, 2021.

Nesbitt had been put on a community payback order for 12 months with 200 hours of unpaid work. He was also banned from owning an animal for 10 years.

The Scottish SPCA said the dog’s ribs were “clearly visible though his skin” and he also had thickened pressure sores all over his body, suggesting that he had been lying on hard surfaces for a very long time.

He suffered from hair loss and skin damage on his tail, which the charity said indicated “long-term caging” in a small space.

After the original sentencing, Scottish SPCA inspector Andrew Gray said: “We’re glad that Zeg is out of the situation that caused him so much suffering and we’re pleased that Nesbitt and Ward have been given lengthy bans on owning animals.”