A MAN has confessed to threatening ?inject a father of six with a syringe of HIV-infected blood.

Ian Stalker pleaded guilty on Wednesday to trying to extort money by presenting a syringe filled with red liquid at the man in his kitchen in Garelochhead, in front of his wife and three-year-old twins, writes Tristan Stewart-Robertson.

The 32-year-old's offence was said to stem from connection to drug dealing - but the specifics are in dispute and will require a separate hearing before sentencing.

Dumbarton Sheriff Court ?heard how the victim was engaged in drug dealing, and that Stalker asked him to do a drugs run with £26,000 in cash. The victim of the threat would have got a £3,000 bonus for taking the risk.

But the man refused, and Stalker, of Braehead Place in Rhu, said he was out of pocket because he would have to rearrange the run.

The court was told that around 1.17pm on November 28, 2015, at a property in Upland Road, Garelochhead, the father of six was in his kitchen with his wife and their three year old twins.

She said: "The man's wife said she looked at her husband and noticed he had stood up from the table and looked terrified.

"She turned to see what he was looking at and in the doorway was standing the accused, with his face covered with a dark balaclava.

"He briefly removed his balaclava, then replaced it. In his right hand he was holding a syringe which was filled with a red liquid and he stated it contained blood infected with the HIV virus and he would put it in the man's neck if he didn't get his money.

"The complainer understood the money being referred to as being the money which the accused was out of pocket by the complainer's refusal to do the run - estimated £300 involved to ?rearrange the driver and the route."

The man's wife said she would get the money for Stalker and he agreed, giving the syringe to the man and saying he would return in an hour. When he left, police were contacted and arrived minutes later. ?While police were there, Stalker was trying to phone his victim from just moments earlier but the man didn't answer.

Officers went in search of Stalker but didn't find him at home. He handed himself in around 7am the next morning at Clydebank police office.

Defence solicitor Tom Brown said his client's position was he gave money to his victim to supply him with cocaine and the man refused. He also said Stalker was let in to the property by the victim's wife, but accepted he did not have permission to be there.

He said: "Mr Stalker's position was the man was his supplier.? He knows this is a very serious matter, obviously. It's going to be a custodial sentence, that's clear."

Stalker was convicted of going to the property in Upland Road with the intention of menacing the man and putting him in a state of fear and alarm and apprehension of violence; of entering the house without permission and with his face masked and for the purpose of extorting money; of threatening that unless he was handed money which he claimed was owed, that he would stab the man with a syringe containing a red liquid which he claimed was blood infected with HIV; and of presenting the syringe at him to induce him to deliver money, and thereby attempting to extort him.

Despite the plea, disputed elements of the narrative mean a hearing will be held on February 10 to determine the facts.

Sheriff Simon Pender adjourned sentencing until that hearing.