Party animal gets the chop

A Scottish chef, who had a "flash of drunken brilliance" and hosted a riotous after-hours party at the pub-restaurant where he worked, has been fined £200 at Paisley Sheriff Court.

Alan Dowling, who was a key holder at Brannigan's in Shuttle Street, Paisley, invited around 12 friends back to the brasserie for late drinks after a night in a Clydebank club.

But word of the impromptu party spread, and about 50 people gatecrashed the event on 27 January.

Police arrived at the restaurant at 5.20am after receiving complaints about the noise. They found Dowling serving drinks, though it was not clear whether he had been charging people the full price. Officers seized £95.25 from the till.

In court, Dowling admitted opening up the premises and serving alcohol outside the permitted licensing hours.

The day after the incident, Dowling was immediately sacked from Brannigan's. He now works as a chef in Glasgow airport.

After the court case, he said: "I have since changed my drinking habits and am no longer the party animal."