A BUILDER has been jailed for seven years for attempting to murder a man who owed him £50 with a machete.

Scott Dominick, 50, carried out more work on a garden patio at a house in Linwood than had been originally agreed. After the work was completed at the end of February at Andrew Palmer's estranged wife's house, he went in search of extra cash for the job.

Dominick phoned another man, Iain Sproule, who had organised for him to do the work at Mrs Palmer's home, about the money on a few occasions after completing the job. While on the phone, he claimed he heard Mr Palmer speaking about him.

Dominick armed himself with a machete and slashed Mr Palmer in Colliers pub on Johnstone's Main Street.

He later told officers: "I know what I did, I will slash your throat too."

At the High Court in Glasgow, Dominick was convicted of attempting to murder Palmer on March 2.

Passing sentence yesterday, judge Norman Ritchie QC told him that after giving "varying accounts" during his evidence of what happened, and after offering a plea of guilty to a lesser charge of assault, it should be "no surprise" that he was convicted.

Defence counsel Tony Graham said: "He obviously reacted grossly inappropriately to the set of circumstances and had done so criminally."