Trial is told how fall out between pals ended in violence

A man says he feared for his life when he was robbed and jabbed repeatedly with a screwdriver, a court has heard.

Raymond Docherty, 23, denies assaulting John Mochan and stealing his mobile phone at his home in Johnstone.

Mr Mochan, 37, told a trial at Paisley Sheriff Court that his former friend Docherty punched him on the head before striking him on the legs, arms and backside with a screwdriver.

Under questioning from fiscal depute Alan Parfrey, Mr Mochan said the pair had been drinking together earlier in the evening, but had fallen out.

He said: “He was being nippy with me. He was a wee bit cheeky, putting me down, poking fun at me.”

Mr Mochan told the court that he went home and began unblocking a hoover with a red handled screwdriver.

He said that Docherty turned up at his home in Ferguson Street, Johnstone, a short time later.

“He came to the door and I let him in. He went to use the toilet. He walked into the living room and picked up the screwdriver and said, ‘is this for me?’

Mr Mochan claimed that Docherty ‘hooked’ him to the side of the head and left him sprawled on the bed.

He told the prosecutor: “I was stunned. He started prodding hell out of me with the screwdriver. I was on the bed trying to protect myself, I had my hands up.”

Later in his evidence, Mr Mochan added: “I was shaking like a leaf, he was hitting me in the privates and the backside, it was embarrassing. It’s lucky he never did a full one because that would have been me.

“He threatened that if I told the police that he would get his crowd to do me in.

“I was in a state of shock for about 10 minutes.”

The alleged victim explained that he had returned to Docherty’s home to confront him and then bumped into police officers and reported the incident.

Mr Mochan claims that Docherty stole a Samsung Galaxy 5S, a phone charger and a bluetooth speaker during the alleged incident on February 8 this year.

The court was shown images of small puncture wounds on Mr Mochan’s hands, arms and legs, which he says were inflicted by the accused with the screwdriver during the incident.

The trial before Sheriff Tom McCartney continues.

He started prodding hell out of me with the screwdriver. I was on the bed trying to protect myself