AN OFFSHORE worker got so drunk on his return to dry land he threatened to stab a male passenger and made sexual comments to a woman passenger, York Magistrates Court heard. .

Oil rigger Liam Ramsey’s journey ended before he reached his Scottish home when he was taken off an LNER train at York Railway Station and arrested.

Jane Chadwick, prosecuting, said he had told the first passenger: “I can get people rubbed out and stabbed at the push of a button. I can stab you.”

Defence solicitor Kevin Blount said because workers on oil rigs were not allowed to drink alcohol while working for safety reasons, they were tempted to binge drink on their return to land.

Ramsey had learnt when he came ashore that his girlfriend had left him.

“He hit the bars,” said Mr Blount. “He accepts it was a mistake and he had drunk far too much.”

Ramsey, 28, of Lansbury Gardens, Paisley, Renfrewshire, pleaded guilty to a public order offence.

He was given a 12-month community order with 150 hours’ unpaid work and 12 months’ supervision.

He was also ordered to pay a £95 statutory surcharge and £85 prosecution costs.

Jane Chadwick, prosecuting, said Ramsey was among three men who boarded the train from London Kings Cross to Scotland at Peterborough on July 8.

When the first passenger heard Ramsey making sexual comments to a woman passenger, he spoke to him to try and get him to behave.

Ramsey replied: “Stop talking to me like an ………. “ and threatened to stab him.

When interviewed later by British Transport Police, Ramsey said he couldn’t remember what had happened because he had been so drunk.

Ramsey agreed with district judge Adrian Lower he had been a “drunken idiot”.

Mr Blount said Ramsey had started the train journey at Norwich. He worked a rota of three or four consecutive weeks offshore followed by three or four weeks onshore.

The court heard Ramsey was already on a community order imposed in Scotland with a rehabilitation programme for people who commit domestic violence at the time of the offence.