Thugbatteredmanwith hammer after dentist trip
A THUG battered a man with a hammer after going into a bad mood following a trip to the dentist, a court heard.
Derek Docherty brutally attacked William Nicholson at a flat in Renfrewshire, Paisley in January this year.
The blood-soaked victim needed almost 60 staples in his head after suffering a fractured skull.
Docherty – who already had a long history of violence – had gone on trial accused of attempted murder.
But, midway through the case, the 29-year-old instead pleaded guilty to the reduced charge of assault to severe injury.
His lawyer Paul Nelson told the High Court in Glasgow: “The day before the incident he underwent dental surgery for the removal of his wisdom tooth.
“He was not in the best frame of mind then given the traumatic dental surgery.”
The advocate said it would have been “more advisable” for Docherty to have stayed at home on the day of the attack due to his “shorter temper”.
Lord Armstrong yesterday jailed Docherty for five years for the attack.
The court heard he had only been freed from a previous prison term two months before the crime.
Docherty boasted “result” as he smiled towards relatives while being led handcuffed to the cells.
The thug struck on January 28 at the flat where Mr Nicholson was effectively a lodger at the time.
A row had broken out between Docherty’s former co-accused Stacey Quigley, 29, and another man there.
The court heard Mr Nicholson walked towards the pair, but was then set upon by Docherty.
Mr Nelson said: “He observed movement by Mr Nicholson – he then put two and two together and got five.
“He thought something was going to happen that did not and reacted. There was a hammer in the living room – he picked it up and used it to strike Mr Nicholson repeatedly.
“It is fortunate that the injuries were not more significant.”
Lord Armstrong said Docherty had a criminal record stretching back to 2003. Quigley had also faced the attempted murder charge, but her not guilty plea was accepted by prosecutors.