A Virgin media customer who sent a bomb threat to the company after his services were cut has been placed on probation for two years.

Ian Sharpe sent the threatening message to the company's admin team through his set-top box after they stopped an interactive chat service.

The 24-year-old told workers that there was a bomb at their main office and said: "You scum not dead yet? Won't be long now."

At Glasgow Sheriff Court on Thursday, Sheriff John McCormick also sentenced Sharpe to 100 hours community service.

At an earlier hearing, Sharpe, of Rosemount Street, Glasgow, admitted sending the threatening message to the firm's office in Newport on April 16, this year. Prosecutor Carolyn McLeod told the court that the accused was a regular user of an online chat system operated by Virgin Media.

She said: "The service allowed the accused to chat to other Virgin Media customers. However this service was withdrawn as the accused had been misusing the feature.

"This meant that he could no longer send messages to other customers but he could still use a feedback service which allowed him to contact the company's administration department.

"He then sent a message stating 'You scum not dead yet? Not be long now. Bomb at your main office and it ain't a hoax wait and see. Bang bang b*****ds die'.

"A supervisor at Virgin Media spotted the message and contacted the police who then attended at the accused's home address."

Sharpe later told officers that it was "just a joke" before saying "I'm sorry it was stupid". Defence lawyer Jim McPartland told the court that his client hadn't thought through what he was doing at the time and was sorry for upsetting anyone.