Victim left permanently disfigured by punching frenzy
A SCOTS football manager has been jailed for 20 months after a brutal assault on his partner. Thug Tony McNally, 33, repeatedly punched Stephanie Whiteside on the head after causing her to fall to the ground, leaving her with a cut lip and her front teeth forced backwards. McNally, of Castlemilk, Glasgow, was found guilty by a jury at Airdrie Sheriff Court of assaulting Stephanie and causing her severe injury, permanent disfigurement and permanent impairment. He is the former head coach of League Two Annan Athletic, head of youth development at League One Dumbarton and under-20s coach of League Two Clyde. The jury, last month, took just over two and a half hours to find McNally guilty of the brutal attack which happened on March 9, last year, at a house in Derwentwater, East Kilbride. The sentence was said to have left his football career in “tatters”. It was revealed at the end of the trial that at the time he carried out the assault, he was on two bail orders from Glasgow Sheriff Court, imposed
BY ALEX DOWDALLS reporters@dailyrecord.co.uk on him on September 25 and October 25, 2018.
Sentencing McNally, Sheriff Morag Shankland: “In so far as the permanent impairment is concerned, I have no alternative but to impose a custodial sentence, even although the jury came to a guilty verdict finding provocation.
“You will go to prison for 20 months.”
The sheriff also gave him a non-harassment order, banning him from any contact with his victim for four years.
Prosecutor Chloe O’Hara detailed McNally’s previous convictions.
Defence agent John Kilcoyne told the court: “He has been a football coach since he was 19. And is now a football manager in Sweden. He had a long-term relationship for 13 years and has an eight-year-old son.
“This domestic offence happened at the end of this relationship. His life has always been focused on football coaching.
“This offence happened during a time he was back from Sweden. He had taken alcohol.
“He accepts it was a serious assault but under provocation.
“He is very concerned about a custodial sentence. He has a twoyear contract with the Swedish club.
“He takes players from Scotland and England to Sweden and was due to fly there with a player from Kilmarnock Football Club. He works long hours from 7am until late in the evening.
“He realises the court has few options open. He is able to pay compensation to his victim and could pay £2500 within a year.
“A lot of people speak very highly of him and a jail sentence would leave his football career in tatters.
“He is not in a rush to get into a relationship at any time in the near future. This is his first crime for violence.”
McNally is manager of Swedish Division Two side Ytterhogdal IK, a post he had held since January, having been full-time assistant manager at the club since December 2018.
He holds a series of qualifications including a UEFA B Licence, Scouting Certificate Licence, SFA C Licence and an SFA Elite Youth A Licence.
He was first team coach with Annan from 2014-16, then head of youth development with Dumbarton 2016-17 before taking over as Clyde Under-20s head coach from August 2017 to February 2018, before moving to Sweden. During his time at Clyde he was interim first team manager in November 2017 for three matches and was unbeaten.
It is understood that McNally had applied recently for the vacant manager’s job at Lowland League side East Kilbride Thistle.
As the sheriff read out the sentence, McNally looked visibly shaken in the dock.