A HOSPITAL porter went on the rampage in Galashiels town centre during the early hours of New Year’s Day by overturning wheelie bins and breaking two windows, Selkirk Sheriff Court was told.

Ross Norman, 25, was fined £200 and ordered to pay £100 compensation after admitting two counts of causing reckless damage in High Street and Channel Street on January 1.

Tessa Bradley, prosecuting, explained the events started at around 3am when Norman was spotted by as member of the public outside Farm Foods in Bridge Place shouting and swearing and saying he wanted to kill somebody.

She continued: “The accused continued walking towards the police station shouting and swearing.

“The witness was concerned about him so followed him but kept a distance.”

The fiscal described how Norman started knocking over wheelie bins and spilling their contents.

He then moved onto the High Street and while outside Wetherspoons picked up a bin and threw it at the glass door causing a panel to break.

Ms Bradley said Norman pushed a wheelie bin onto the road outside Poundstretcher and while in Channel Street threw a traffic cone towards the plate glass of a gift shop which was already cracked from a previous incident.

The court was told Norman continued to knock over bins behaving in ‘an agitated and aggressive manner’ as he headed into Bank Street where the witness then borrowed a mobile phone from a friend and at 3.51am called the police to explain what had happened and was able to point out Norman to the officers.

The officers went round the town and saw the overturned bins as well as the damage to the two premises and also checked CCTV.

Norman was detained at 4am and described his behaviour as ‘drunken silliness’.

Defence lawyer Ed Hulme said Norman of High Buckholmside had no previous convictions and added: “Too much alcohol had been consumed with friends. One of two of them may have been egging him on.”

The damage to the Wetherspoons door was £100 while the gift shop window was valued at £500 although it was already cracked.

Sheriff Peter Paterson imposed fines of £100 on each of the two charges and ordered compensation of £100 in favour of JD Wetherspoons.