A HABITUAL offender who has made repeated appearances at Dumbarton Sheriff Court over the last few years is finally showing signs that he’s beginning to turn his life around.

Simon Chisholm appeared at the court on Friday for a review of a community payback order imposed for assaulting a female police officer, exposing himself at her, shouting, swearing and making abusive remarks in an incident on March 19 last year.

Chisholm, 39, also flouted three separate bail orders by breaching the terms of a curfew in May and August 2016 and in January of this year, acted aggressively towards police in Riverside Lane in September and stole a quantity of clothing from a store in College Way in October.

But when he appeared back in the dock on Friday his solicitor said there was a “largely positive” report on Chisholm’s progress on his order.

Sheriff Maxwell Hendry observed that Chisholm – who is currently living in supported accommodation with the Safe as Houses project in Clydebank – was “having a better 2017 than 2016”, to which solicitor Lauren Kerr replied, with unusual frankness: “And 2015, 2014 and 2013.”

Miss Kerr told the court Chisholm’s focus was now on getting himself off methadone and becoming completely drug-free.

Prosecutor Scott Simpson said a police report confirmed Chisholm had not been in any more trouble since the order was imposed.

Sheriff Hendry told Chisholm: “I came here two and a half years ago, and for the first 18 months scarcely a working day went by without you appearing in front of me.

“I was told you had the potential to do an awful lot better. It was very difficult to believe that was true, because time after time you were making bad choices, allowing yourself to be led astray, abusing your body with numerous substances and breaking the law.

“It would have been an easy option to send you to prison. But we chose to go down a different route to see whether that potential could be turned into reality, and so far it seems that it’s working.

“We need to see that it’s going to continue to work for as long as possible.”

The sheriff noted that while Chisholm hoped to leave his supported accommodation and find his own tenancy, that move would present him with a much bigger challenge, and said he wanted to keep a close eye on how Chisholm performed without that close support.

“I would prefer that the court is monitoring you at that time,” the sheriff added, “and that may be of some assistance to you to carry on.

“Well done so far.”

Chisholm’s case will be reviewed on September 15.