A BEITH man has been given an ultimatum - comply with a court order or go back to jail.

John Coyle was told "the ball is in your court" as he appeared in the dock at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court on May 3.

Coyle, 44, was brought before Sheriff Nicola Patrick from custody, where he had spent the past 11 weeks, for a review of his community payback order (CPO) and sentencing matters - after he breached a non-harrassment order (NHO).

The procurator fiscal depute explained how Coyle, described in court papers as a resident of Main Street in Beith, had ended up behind bars.

As part of Mr Coyle's NHO he was not to approach a particular woman, nor to approach their address.

But he broke this order on January 17 on two occasions.

The court heard how the complainer, who Coyle was under orders not to approach, believed the accused to be at the front door of their home in Ardrossan just after midnight.

They opened the door, with the security lock on, to find someone else standing there - who claimed to be a taxi driver.

The complainer closed the door before it was knocked a second time. On this occasion they did not open the door.

They then heard the accused shouting outside, so phoned the police, though both Coyle and the 'taxi driver' left before they arrived.

Then that same day, at around 11.40am, the complainer was in their home when they saw the accused in their garden.

They were on the phone at the time, and had to tell their friend on the other end of the line that they were going to hang up and phone the police.

When officers arrived they searched the area but could not traced the accused, who had made off.

Coyle was eventually traced on February 4, when he was found to have stolen a bottle of vodka, worth £13.39, from Aldi at The Braes in Saltcoats.

Coyle's defence solicitor asked Sheriff Patrick to give his client a chance to continue with his CPO and to show that he had learned from his past mistakes.

Sheriff Patrick told Coyle how she hoped that the 11 weeks he had spent in custody had "focussed his mind".

She added: “You have three weeks to demonstrate that you are going to fully comply with this.

"The ball is in your court."

A further review of his progress was set for later this month.