A 29-year-old man has been jailed for four months after breaching an order he was given for racially abusing a Kilwinning shop worker.

Christopher McGuire, of Alloway Place in Ardrossan, appeared at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court last week and pled guilty to breaching a Community Payback Order (CPO).

McGuire had been handed the order at the court in June after admitting to behaving in a racially aggravated manner that was intended to cause alarm and distress to a person.

On March 26 last year, McGuire shouted and swore at an employee in KK Premier Stores, threatened the man with violence and made racial remarks towards him.

He also admitted to wilfully or recklessly destroying or damaging property belonging to another by kicking a pane of glass in a door at the shop, causing it to break.

McGuire returned to the court last week to face Sheriff Alistair Watson after failing to comply with his CPO.

Defending McGuire, solicitor Katy Dawson said that her client’s attendance on the CPO had been “sporadic” but stressed that he suffered from poor mental health.

She said: “He tells me there is a mental health problem which is referred to in the [social work] report. That is confirmed by his doctor.

“He suffers from depression and he self-harms.”

Miss Dawson said that McGuire’s mental health had deteriorated so much by March, that he had been forced to move in with his mother for support.

She added: “He tells me he feels somewhat better that he did.

“Prior to March he had been in employment and was doing well but because of his mental health he is now on benefits.”

But Sheriff Watson told McGuire that he had “no sympathy” for him and revoked his CPO.

Sentencing McGuire to four months in prison, Sheriff Watson said: “This was a disgraceful episode of racist conduct on a man who was trying to make a living in your area. I then discover that you have failed to comply with the report.

“I have no sympathy and I am going to revoke your Community Payback Order and send you to prison.”