By Craig Borland

A YOKER man who threw a beer bottle at the windscreen of a moving bus in Clydebank tried to claim it “slipped out of his hand”.

A court heard that dad-of-three Fraser Russell leaned out of the window of a moving car to hurl the object at the bus after its driver sounded his horn at a set of traffic lights.

Russell was a passenger in the car as it travelled along Glasgow Road at around 6.15pm on July 18 last year.

Russell, 46, of Harbury Place, appeared in court for sentencing on Friday after pleading guilty at a previous hearing to a charge of culpable and reckless conduct.

Sentence was deferred following his guilty plea in order for background reports to be prepared.

Fiscal depute Martina McGuigan told Dumbarton Sheriff Court that a witness, the driver of the bus, was returning to his employer’s HQ at the wheel of an empty coach when he stopped behind a car at a red traffic light.

When the car in front did not move after the light changed to green the bus driver sounded his horn, to which the female driver of the car gesticulated out of the window and both vehicles moved off.

Ms McGuigan said: “As the traffic light changed to green he waited for this vehicle to move off, but it appeared to the witness that the driver in front had not observed the lights changing.

“The witness gave a short sound of his horn. The female driver of the vehicle gesticulated out of the window and both vehicles moved off.

Ms McGuigan said: “Whilst travelling along Glasgow Road the witness became aware of a male passenger in the car – the now accused – leaning out of the passenger window, turning his body towards the witness’s vehicle and throwing a brown glass bottle, believed to be a beer bottle, which collided with the windscreen of the coach.

“The glass bottle smashed on impact and shattered the windscreen, but there was safety glass fitted which prevented the windscreen smashing.”

Police were contacted and Russell was eventually traced.

Ms McGuigan added: “The accused was later interviewed by police and stated that the bottle had slipped out of his hand.”

The damage to the windscreen of the bus was estimated at £1,200.

Russell’s solicitor, Andrew Lambie, said: “The report is in reasonably favourable terms to the accused. “He is aware of the serious nature of the charge and he is extremely ashamed of his conduct.“He is aware of the potential harm that could have been caused, and is aware he is fortunate that nothing further happened.”

Sheriff Maxwell Hendry told Russell: “I’m told you are extremely ashamed and remorseful, and if correct, that is entirely appropriate. “It almost beggars belief that you would lean out of a moving car and throw a bottle at a bus which, for all you knew, could have been full of passengers.” What happens next?

“It’s down to sheer good fortune that nothing happened next.”

Russell was ordered to carry out was placed on a community payback order which will see him carry out 180 hours of unpaid community work and pay £1,240 in compeensation.

He will also be under social workers’ supervision until June 2019.

He was additionally ordered to pay £1,240 in compensation to the owner of the bus.