THUG WHO BOTTLED MAN IN PAISLEY TOWN CENTRE BAR BUCKFAST BRUTE IS CAGED

A boozed-up thug has been jailed for nearly three years after brutally bottling a man in the face.

Sean McCallum, 25, was fuelled up on Buckfast when he attacked Ross Chalmers at The Bar and Grill in Paisley, leaving him with a bleed on the brain.

Yesterday, he was sentenced at Paisley Sheriff Court to 32 months behind bars, and warned the prison sentence could have been even longer.

The court had previously heard that McCallum, who has convictions for violence, had targeted his victim Mr Chalmers.

Fiscal depute Keri Marshall said Mr

Chalmers was drinking at the bar with a friend, when they became aware of two men sitting in a booth, drinking Buckfast and playfighting.

Ms Marshall added: “At that point, the accused approached the complainer, he placed the bottle of Buckfast on the bar, and began dangling a keyring, which looked like it was a small knife.

“He was staring at the complainer.

“The complainer felt threatened by the accused’s actions. He threw a punch in the direction of the accused, which caused both parties to move away from the bar into the open space.

“The accused, who was in possession of the bottle of Buckfast, lashed out at the complainer, striking him on the left hand side of his head with the bottle.”

McCallum fled the pub with his pal following the attack on on February 17.

Mr Chalmers was offered help by bar staff, who contacted the emergency services.

He was taken to the Royal Alexandra Hospital by ambulance, but, because of the serious nature of his injuries — a slash wound from the bottom of his face to his neck, he was transferred to the Queen Elizabeth Ear, Nose and Throat department, where he received eight stitches for a four centimetre wound.

The c o u r t h e a rd Mr Chalmers, who was discharged from hospital on February 19, had suffered a bleed on the brain, and was re-admitted to the RAH the following day.

He was finally discharged on February 22.

Cops tracked down McCallum in Paisley town centre at around midnight following the attack. He had blood splattered down his sleeve and on his hands when he was arrested.

When he appeared in court yesterday for sentencing, his defence agent Michael McKeown said his client deeply regretted the incident.

He said: “He accepts he is not good at extricating himself from certain situations when he should and this happened on this occasion.

“He has two previous conviction for assault to severe injury, but neither involved a weapon.”

On learning that the two previous convictions did not involve the use of a weapon, Sheriff David Pender said he had reconsidered the sentence.

He explained: “The most worrying aspect of this is that you have three convictions for assault to severe injury and you are just 25 years of age.

“I was considering an extended sentence, but hearing that this is the first time a weapon has been involved I have rowed back from that.”

He ordered McCallum to spend 32 months behind bars reduced from four years because of his guilty plea. This will be backdated to February 20.

McCallum will also be subject to a supervised release order meaning he will be monitored in the community for 12 months.