A masked man who threatened a company director on his doorstep amid a £25,000 business dispute has avoided jail.
Matthew Shaw, 36, and another man confronted Scott Smith, 36, on 16th July 2020.
The men banged on his door at 10.30pm demanding that he come out and face them.
Clydebuilt Home Improvements boss Mr Smith had received numerous threatening calls and text from Shaw who head never met.
This included warnings that his business premises in Paisley would be targeted and his home burned down.
The incidents arose after the end of a “hostile” business relationship between Mr Smith’s company and a subcontractor.
Shaw had contacted Mr Smith separately from the subcontractor’s company director demanding a rising cash figure which reached £25,000.
Shaw pled guilty last month at Glasgow Sheriff Court to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner.
Sheriff Tony Kelly ordered Shaw to do 280 hours of unpaid work and put under supervision for three years.
He was also tagged for six months keeping him indoors between 7pm and 7am.
The court heard that Mr Smith’s company entered into an agreement with a subcontractor in August 2019.
The window installation work carried on without difficulty until March 2020.
Mr Smith wanted the business arrangement to change and potentially conclude.
There was a financial arrangement between Mr Smith and a director of the subcontractor for work carried out.
A payment of £48,000 was made from Mr Smith’s company to the subcontractor.
The “informal” arrangement included some outstanding work to be completed by the subcontractor.
There was a further payment in June 2020 which Mr Smith believed would bring an end to the business relationship.
The director of the subcontractor told Mr Smith that he didn’t accept the end to the business relationship.
It was stated that the director also did not believe the payment was sufficient to bring it to an end.
Mr Smith was then contacted for almost two weeks by Shaw in July 2020.
Prosecutor Mark Allan said that the involvement of Shaw was “against the background of a difficult and hostile end to the relationship between the companies.”
Mr Shaw initially received a call at his workplace from a number and voice he did not recognise – which the Crown identified as being Shaw.
He told Mr Smith: “You have f***ed with the wrong people, you have been a wideo, you are five grand light in payment – it is now 15 grand, you have until Monday.
“Don’t do anything stupid, don’t speak to anyone, this isn’t going away.”
Shaw also identified Mr Shaw’s home and company address during the call.
Mr Smith contacted the director of the subcontractor who again stated that the business arrangement had not come to a satisfactory end.
A follow up call from Shaw said: “I told you not to speak to anyone, it’s went from 15 grand to 25 grand, you have got until Monday.
“If I don’t see you on Monday, I will set fire to your house and I will attack the business premises.”
Shaw later sent images of premises near to his home and work premises as well as a list of postcodes which Mr Smith took as being “threatening.”
On July 16, Mr Smith and his wife Claire heard banging on their front door at 10.30pm.
Mr Allan said: “They shouted for Mr Smith to come out.
“He looked through the door pane and found there were two people wearing hi-vis vests and face masks.
“They were making noise, shouting through the letterbox, telling him to go out.”
Mr Smith recognised one of the voices to be Shaw and his wife phoned the police.
The two men left before the officers arrived.
Police later used CCTV which showed Shaw buying mobile top-ups and a service provider check proved that he was the owner of the phone making the contact.
Warrants were then granted and Shaw was traced.