A MAN who was let out of work early forgot to leave a knife behind in his excitement.

David Brown narrowly avoided jail for his gaffe and will now have to undertake unpaid work for the "oversight".

The 41-year-old was initially charged with shouting, swearing and threatening people in Glasgow's John Street on March 30 last year.

He denied that accusation and refuted the claim that he struggled with two police constables during the same incident.

His pleas of not guilty were accepted by the Crown at the city's sheriff court.

He did however admit that he had a craft knife in his possession without legal authority or a reasonable excuse.

In defence it was explained that Brown had been working, but was told by his employer that he could leave early. The accused's lawyer described neglecting to leave the blade as "simply an oversight".

The accused – described as a "valued member of staff" at his work – had been consuming alcohol at the time of the offence, but has since sought help with his alcohol issues.

Sheriff Alan Mackenzie highlighted that Brown had been caught carrying a knife before, back in 2008.

However, the sheriff imposed a direct alternative to custody, noting: "I do so because there's been a gap in offending."

Sheriff Mackenzie sentenced Brown, of Buccleuch Street, to a Community Payback Order with supervision for 12 months and 300 hours of unpaid work.