A drunken dad branded police ‘rats’ during a foul-mouthed tirade of abuse outside a Greenock pub — then threatened to stub out a cigarette in an officer’s EYE.

Jamie McCluskey repeatedly approached officers who’d been called to a 1am incident on West Stewart Street.

The town’s sheriff court was told how the 24-year-old made a ‘nuisance’ of himself during the disturbance.

Prosecutor Lindy Scaife said: “He was shouting and swearing and called the police ‘rats’ and ‘piggy’ and other derogatory names from the rear of a taxi.

“The accused then got out of the taxi and stated, ‘Well done Strathclyde’s finest — jail a first offender’.

“He stated to one officer, ‘When I next see you in the town I’m gonnae stub a fag out right in your eye’, and then followed that up with another derogatory label.”

The court heard that jobless McCluskey has a criminal record — including domestic abuse — that ‘doesn’t do him any credit’.

The Greenock Telegraph reported his lawyer, David Tod, said that despite his latest offence, the father-of-one had not been in trouble since 2015.

Mr Tod said: “He has had problems with drink and drugs in the past.

“He has a child now, who is three, and his cessation in offending goes along with him becoming a father.

“Mr McCluskey had drank to excess on the night.”

Fiscal depute Ms Scaife earlier told the court: “Police had attended at a bar at the locus regarding an unrelated matter at 1.10am.

“The accused persistently approached officers and was making a nuisance of himself.

“He repeatedly tried to enter the pub after curfew time.”

Following his arrest over the incident on August 13 last year, McCluskey spat out £5 worth of cannabis that he had been concealing within his mouth at Greenock police office.

Sheriff Daniel Kelly ordered McCluskey, of Highholm Street, Port Glasgow, to complete 90 hours of unpaid work within three months.

The sheriff told him: “The nature of your conduct and abuse is something that the court treats seriously, so all sentencing options will be open if this order is not completed.”

McCluskey was admonished on the cannabis possession matter.