An irate Beith man trashed his girlfriend’s garden with a JCB in a fit of anger after she split up with him.

Alisdair McKinnon drove the huge vehicle towards the woman’s cottage on Thursday afternoon when she told him their relationship was over. 

McKinnon, 33, had been in an on-off relationship with his partner for four years and was living with her before last week’s drama. 

The JCB driver parked his vehicle in the drive before entering the home he shared with the woman on the outskirts of Paisley, Renfrewshire, on Thursday afternoon. 

But she told him their relationship was over and ordered him to leave. 

And, incensed at the development, he jumped behind the wheel of his JCB to exact revenge. 

He lifted the arm of the JCB, which had a bucket attached to the end, and swung it towards the bay window of her home. 

But he stopped short of damaging the building - and turned his attention to her garden. 

He used the JCB to smash large plant pots and kerb stones, before digging up soil and moving it around the garden - then taking off.

His partner, who was in her house with one of her four children from a previous relationship at the time, reported the incident to police that night. 

Officers probing the drama tracked McKinnon down to an address in Beith, Ayrshire, the following day and he was arrested and held in police custody for three nights at Saltcoats police station. 

He pleaded guilty to two charges over the offence when appearing in the dock at Paisley Sheriff Court on Monday. 

Defence solicitor Amy Spencer struck a deal with prosecutors which saw McKinnon admit his guilt in exchange for claims he repeatedly texted the victim of the offence against her will and attended her house uninvited being dropped.  

He pleaded guilty to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner, in breach of Section 38(1) of the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010, by driver his JCB towards her house with the digger arm raised, placing her and son Corrie McCune, 21, in a state of fear or alarm. 

And he also admitted wilfully or recklessly damaging her property -  in breach of Section 52(1) and (3) of the Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995 - by driving the digger on to the premises and using it to “strike plant pots and kerb stone and move a large quantity of soil near the building there, damaging said plant pots, kerb stones and the ground there.”

Miss Spencer told Sheriff James Spy: “His former partner is 17 years older than he is and she has four children from a previous relationship - they have no children together. 

“This was a four-year relationship and there were difficulties in the relationship which caused Mr McKinnon to reside at his family home. 

“I understand that, since this incident, he has been in contact with her. 

“He has two priorities in his life and has been placing his work commitments before his partner and realises he needs to rethink that. 

“He is in full-time employment as a JCB driver.

“He earns £600-per-week and supports his girlfriend financially, she is unemployed.”

As he adjourned the case until next month, Sheriff Spy said: “I’m going to call for a [background] Criminal Justice Social Work Report given the serious nature of this. 

“I’m going to release you on bail with the special condition that you don’t approach or contact her.

“If you breach that you’ll end up in jail. 

“You must cooperate with the social work department in the preparation of reports.”

McKinnon faces the threat of a 12-month jail term when he returns to the dock next month to learn his fate. 

The victim of the offence declined to discuss the case when approached at her home.