Bottle attack yob is tagged
A Blantyre man has been shown leniency after he attacked his friend with a bottle.
The glass narrowly missed James Mccall’s eye and he needed a skin graft to help repair the wound.
Thomas Abraham, 20, of Armour Court, Blantyre, admitted assaulting Mccall to his severe injury and permanent disfigurement at the Blue Triangle homeless hostel in Portwell, Hamilton, on September 3 last year.
Paula Russell, prosecuting, told Hamilton Sheriff Court the pair were friends and have known each other for years.
They were both Blue Triangle residents and on this occasion had been drinking along with Mccall’s girlfriend.
Mccall let Abraham sleep in his room, but was wakened around 3.20am by his friend “shouting about a mobile phone”.
Ms Russell told the court: “Abraham smashed a bottle and struck Mccall on the face with it.
“Mccall was bleeding profusely but refused help. He was taken to hospital and stitches were put in a wound below the eye.
“A flap of skin was removed and replaced with skin from behind his ear. A doctor said the injury will result in permanent scarring.”
Abraham’s lawyer, Andy Iles, said Mccall had taken a valuable phone from his client.
Abraham was expecting a jail sentence, but Iles pointed out that the court had been provided with an “excellent” criminal justice social work report.
He told Sheriff Douglas Brown: “This is a young man with a troubled background who seems to be making his way in the world.
“He is now in full time employment and after being homeless has his own accommodation.
“He is disgusted by his behaviour on this occasion and appreciates how serious the matter is.
“He pleaded guilty first opportunity.”
At an earlier hearing Sheriff Brown had warned Abraham that custody was “almost inevitable”.
But, having read the background report, the sheriff told him: “While this clearly merits prison, you seem to have turned your life around in difficult circumstances.
“I think it’s in the public interest that this progress should be maintained, so I’ll give you a direct alternative to imprisonment.”
Abraham was ordered to carry out 240 hours of unpaid community work. He will also be electronically tagged for six months, meaning he can’t go out between 7pm and 7am each day.” at the A Blantyre woman has celebrated reaching her hundredth birthday.
Margaret O’brien came to Scotland aged eight and celebrated the big day in her home in the town.
Born in County Fermanagh, she is the sole survivor of a family of five sisters who came over from Ireland at the end of the First World War.
She was left a widow when her husband James O’brien, a railway worker, was killed in an accident at work.
Margaret brought up a family of four on her own while working in the kitchen at Mearnskirk Hospital.
A keen Blantyre Celtic fan, she also loved her bingo nights out.