Man loses the plot over neighbour dispute

A neighbour dispute turned ugly when rivals clashed in Paisley after a night out.

Now, one of the troublemakers involved has been locked up for his part in the attack.

John James Johnston was jailed for a total of 18 months for assaulting Michael Radestock by repeatedly punching and kicking him on the head and body and attempting to strike him with a bottle or similar instrument during the episode in the town’s Glenbrittle Drive in October last year.

Co-accused Robert Arnold Muir, 28, of Castle Gait, Paisley, was made the subject of a 15-month Community Payback Order requiring him to complete 200 hours of unpaid work for his role in the same assault.

Paisley Sheriff Court heard how there had been a previous history between the parties and it all came to a head when they met by chance and angry words were exchanged.

Johnstone, 31, of Glenbrittle Drive, and Muir, were both also convicted of behaving in a disorderly manner on the same date by shouting, swearing and uttering threats of violence.

Muir was convicted of damaging a door by punching and kicking it and was ordered to pay compensation of £136 to cover the cost or repairs.

Defence agent Kevin Brady said that Muir had“got himself involved in someone else’s argument”and added:“On reflection, he is appalled and appreciates that he should never have allowed himself to get involved.”

The lawyer explained:“He was heavily under the influence of alcohol at the time and has very little memory of events.”

Solicitor Charlie McCusker said that due to his record and the serious nature of the incident, Johnston fully anticipated a jail term would follow.

“The court saw CCTV footage of the incident.

“Alcohol has been at the root of his problems. When it is consumed, he loses all sense of reasoning,”he said.

Muir was ordered to attend for any alcohol or anger management counselling felt necessary as an added condition of his sentence.