BB gun attack filmed
Teen victim had surgery
Two teenage boys have admitted being involved in a vicious attack on a young man which was filmed and shared on social media.
A 17-year-old St Leonards boy, who cannot legally be named, pled guilty to severely injuring the victim by blasting him in the stomach with what cops described as a “potentially lethal” BB gun.
He also admitted beating him up and assaulting another man by striking him on the hand with a machete at Loch Meadie in East Kilbride on June 18.
Co-accused Nikolas Matthew, 18, of Fleming Place, admitted kicking the victim in a back lane at the town’s Glen More on February 17.
Fiscal depute Vish Kathuria told Hamilton Sheriff Court on Friday that the victim, who was 15 at the time, had left school at lunchtime and headed towards the lane in St Leonards known as ‘Midge Alley’ to meet an acquaintance.
Mr Kathuria said that, when the victim arrived, he was attacked by a group of three males and recalled how the boys were wearing hoods and dark clothing and one said ‘grab him’.
He was taken to the ground and assaulted.
The court heard the victim recalled how the 17-year-old accused walked towards him with a BB style airgun.
“He shot the complainer in the stomach area before he and two others began to kick and punch him whilst he was on the ground,” Mr Kathuria added.
Two other young men filmed the attack, one of whom was co-accused Matthew.
The attack went on for a short time with the victim suffering blows to the head and body until Matthew said: ‘That’s enough’.
Two videos of the attack, one of which was taken by Matthew on his mobile phone, were shown in court. The victim was kept in University Hospital Hairmyres overnight where he was given surgery for a broken left elbow.
Metal pins were inserted to correct the injury. Mr Kathuria added: “He was left with some sensory loss around his hand.”
Footage of the attack was “widely circulated” and when the victim’s mother found out, the attackers were unmasked.
Texts recovered from the 17-year-old to the victim read: “You’re lucky we even left you. You looked as if you were gonnae die”. There was also a reference to getting “tooled up”.
Sheriff Douglas Brown deferred sentence until May 30 for reports. Both the 17-year-old and Matthew were bailed.
You looked as if you were gonnae die...