Brutal Scottish Thug Brands Sheriff a "Legend"

A violent thug who was offered a sailing trip as "punishment" for his crimes yesterday told a sheriff he was a "legend" for letting him walk free from court again. Dale Burns was given another chance to carry out a community order but warned the sheriff: "I've got a lot on my plate just now." Burns provoked fury after it emerged he was given the chance to go on a sailing adventure after being convicted of a string of offences three years ago. Now Burns, 21, has admitted breaching his community payback order but has been given another chance to complete it by Sheriff William Wood. Standing in the dock at Perth Sheriff Court, smiling Burns said: "Legend!" Burns, Auchterarder, had previously admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by shouting, swearing and offering violence to police officers in Auchterarder on 19 October 2011. He also admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner at home on 24 August 2013. Solicitor David Holmes, defending, said: "I would ask the court to defer sentence to see whether he can be of good behaviour and access whatever help is on offer to him. "He is somebody who has had assistance. Much of his problem stems from the sudden death of his father at an age where he has found it difficult to cope. "He states he is willing to carry out the work if he is given the opportunity." Sheriff Wood said: "There are two breaches. One is a failure to comply with unpaid work imposed in respect of unpaid fines and the other is a failure to comply with drug and alcohol treatment. "Is his position that he's willing and able to undertake unpaid work? I would propose to continue consideration of the breach to see if he can comply with the outstanding hours." He told Burns: "You are a young man who is not without difficulties, but they are only going to be compounded if you end up in jail because you are not playing the justice game. "You have been offered a lot of support and you have to take up that support. It is only to avoid sending you to jail today that I am going to give you this opportunity." Burns replied: "I will try to comply, but I've got a lot on my plate at the moment. That's the real world, and I understand that. I get the script." The case was continued until 8 April. Burns previously managed to escape custody despite being convicted of three separate attacks on children, drink driving and another assault to injury case. He still escaped detention in that case in 2012 after he admitted breaching a bail order by approaching a man he had been specifically ordered by a sheriff to stay away from. The court was told that Burns had been out celebrating the fact he had managed to complete a week's paid work for the first time and had got drunk. Burns sparked a political row in 2012 when he was told to go on a Tall Ships adventure after repeatedly failing to carry out court orders. It was revealed that Burns - who spent two years flagrantly ignoring court sentences - was being funded to go on a 500 pounds cruise around Scotland's coastline. He carried out a brutal Buckfast-fuelled attack on a schoolboy in November 2010, and admitted breaching a supervised attendance order twice by not bothering to turn up for a meeting with social workers. The court heard how teachers were too frightened to intervene as the drunken teenager, who was 17 at the time, booted the schoolboy in the playground. Sheriff Gordon Fleetwood fined Burns £365 and ordered him to pay 150 pounds compensation to his victim, but he failed to pay that. He was given 30 hours work to do and when that failed it was increased to 60 hours. However, he still did not do it and was lined up for the funded cruise around the isles instead. The trip is believed to be supported by City Base, an organisation backed by Perth and Kinross Council. A spokesman for Perth and Kinross Council declined to discuss individuals but refused to deny that Burns had ultimately failed to turn up and take part in the trip.