A MAN charged with having an opened bottle of beer on a Greenock street has been BARRED from the town.

Bryan McDowall must stay away as a condition of his bail following a custody appearance at the sheriff court.

McDowall, 27, is accused of holding a Corona beer at Hope Street 'so that in all circumstances it could be reasonable inferred he intended to drink it'.

Prosecutor Lindy Scaife argued for him to be locked up on remand — which currently involves 23 hours-a-day of cell time — citing his criminal record.

The fiscal depute told the court that McDowell is already on bail for an alleged sex offence, having been charged with coercing a person into looking at an image.

Ms Scaife said he is also on a deferred sentence for shoplifting and has a number of convictions for behaving in a threatening or abusive manner.

As well as the alleged beer offence, McDowall is charged with shouting, swearing, acting aggressively, struggling violently with police and attempting to break free from officers' custody.

The Crown says he committed the alleged offences at 1am on September 12.

McDowall, whose address was not given in court, pleaded not guilty through lawyer Gerry Keenan to the latest charges against him.

Mr Keenan said: "He would be happy to agree to a night-time curfew."

Sheriff Joseph Hughes allowed bail on condition that McDowall does not enter Greenock other than for court appearances.

The sheriff also imposed a night-time curfew restricting him to his home between 7pm and 7am each day.

The matters are due to call again next February.