AN AMATEUR musician attacked a drinker in a Renfrewshire pub when his victim asked him to play a song, a court has heard.

Stephen Kinnaird lost the plot in the Bishopton Inn in February last year after reveller Douglas Aitcheson tried to get him to burst in to song.

Kinnaird, 30, began swinging punches and connected with Aitcheson whilst in the Greenock Road pub., which is in the village’s Greenock Road.

He earlier pleaded guilty to assault over the Febraury 7, 2015 incident and sentence was deferred for reports.

Kinnaird admitted punching Aitcheson once, leaving him injured. which saw claims he’d battered Aitcheson until he was unconscious deleted from the charge.

And when Kinnaird returned to the dock at Paisley Sheriff Court he was spared jail over his antics.

Procurator fiscal depute David McDonald told the court the drama unfolded at around 11.30pm on the day in question.

The prosecutor explained: “The witness was standing at the bar and the now accused entered via a side entrance in the company of a female.

“The accused was carrying a caddy guitar case on his back and made his way towards the bar area.

“The witness had previously played guitar in the presence of the accused, approached the accused and asked him to play a song on his guitar.”

Kinnaird knocked back the performance request and lashed out, grabbing his victim by the lapels and trying to punch him on the face.

His victim then tried to cover his face but his resistance was futile and Kinnaird knocked him to the ground.

The police and paramedics were called and Kinnaird was arrested and charged over the incident., leading to him being sentenced this week.

Defence solicitor Paul Lynch asked for leniency for Kinnaird, of Erskine, who has previous convictions for assault.

He said Kinnaird had reacted wrongly when he exchanged words with Aitcheson and said he was responsible for losing his temper.

Sheriff Seith Ireland placed Kinnaird on a Community Payback Order, telling him to complete 200 hours of unpaid work in 12 months. Sheriff Seith Ireland said: “You have a predisposition to resort to some degree of violence and that’s what happened in the public house.”

Kinnaird, a pipefitter, will also be supervised by social workers for a year as part of the CPO.