BATON YOB FREE
Thug sentenced for battering student Caitlin in car park
A GRINNING yob who used a baton as she battered a student in a horror attack in a car park walked free from court yesterday. Stephanie McIntyre, 23, launched the vicious assault on Caitlin Shepherd, 19, after a random meeting in Strathclyde Country Park in Motherwell. Caitlin, of Glasgow, and two friends had arrived at the park when she spotted a car driving close to her. She pulled in but McIntyre and her co-accused Amanda Watt, 19, got out and confronted her. Watt was shouting and swearing at Caitlin, telling her to “get out the f ***** g car”, before McIntyre produced a baton and unleashed a volley of blows to her face and head while trying to pull her out of the vehicle.
As violence erupted, Watt stopped McIntyre after seeing blood pouring from Caitlin’s face and the pair fled.
Caitlin later posted shocking images of her injuries on Facebook and an appeal to track down her attackers went viral.
McIntyre, of Motherwell, admitted assaulting Caitlin while Watt admitted acting in a threatening and abusive manner in March this year after appearing at Hamilton Sheriff Court. McIntyre has now been ordered to complete 240 hours of unpaid work while Watt has been fined £200. Sheriff Thomas Millar told McIntyre: “This was an unprovoked attack on someone that you did not know with serious consequences for your victim. It is only your age and lack of previous offending that saves you from going into custody.” After the incident, Caitlin said: “I have no idea what led to these girls becoming so angry because there was no incident beforehand. “If they had got me out of the car, I don’t know what would have happened.”