Teen told: ‘Be grateful I’m not sending you to jail’

A Moodiesburn teenager who carries out home improvements on properties of Scottish celebrities has been given a second chance after breaching a community payback order.

Gary Williamson, who turns 19 on Friday, was placed under supervision, tagged and given unpaid work last December due to a violent episode in February 2018.

The Netherhill resident showed up at a property on Gartcosh’s Coronation Place and proceeded to repeatedly strike the door with a baseball bat.

A month later, on the same street, he attempted to injure someone with a knife and was found to have cocaine in his possession by police.

Williamson appeared at Airdrie Sheriff Court last week to try to explain why his hours hadn’t been completed.

Sheriff Scott Pattison told him:“On the face of it, this looks pretty bad”.

Williamson’s defence solicitor then said:“There are a number of elements to his disposal.

“He’s complied with the supervision and his restriction of liberty is now done.

“The only consistent thing is his lack of focus towards the unpaid work.

“It’s strange because his work ethic is what kept him out of custody in the first place.

“I find it very surprising he’s breached this; I really thought he could get it done.

“He works in high-end home improvements in Glasgow’s West End and has done for a number of years. “He works in the homes of celebrities. “I wonder if you could put him on a short leash and put him back into Sheriff [Frank] Pieri’s court in a while and see if he can have an impact on this in the meantime.”

Sheriff Pattison ruled:“I can revoke the order and make a new one for three months.

“Be grateful that I’m not sending you to jail today; it’s good to get another chance. Don’t mess about with this one.

“You’ll be under supervision for one year and will do 160 hours of unpaid work.

“I’ll fix a review for Sheriff Pieri in three months and you better have a lot of hours done by then.”