Thug jailed after kicking neighbour on the head
A Stirling thug who kicked a neighbour on the head during an early morning disturbance at a city flat was this week jailed for 11 months.
Terry Thurling, of Cornhill Crescent, St Ninians, had carried out the attack on the man – by kicking him on the head and injuring him – at another flat in the block on May 14 last year.
The assault to injury charge had originally stated the complainer had been repeatedly struck on the head and body with a table, a crutch and a mug, causing the mug to break, but Thurling’s guilty plea to an amended charge had been accepted by the Crown.
Thurling, 41, also admitted assaulting a police officer by pushing him at a Cornhill Crescent flat – and behaving in a threatening and abusive behaviour by repeatedly striking the interior of a police vehicle and making abusive remarks to a police officer at Forth Valley Royal Hospital, Cornhill Crescent and elsewhere.
All the offences took place while Thurling was on bail on other matters.
At Stirling Sheriff Court on Wednesday fiscal depute Mandy Jones said police had been called out to the Cornhill Terrace building following a disturbance.
A bystander had complained about Thurling banging on a door and shouting, but the accused had replied: ‘This is a common close and we can all make as much noise as we want’.
Thurling ran upstairs and pushed his face close towards a witness who became fearful. However, when police attended there were no signs of any disturbance, and efforts made to speak to Thurling at his flat were unsuccessful.
Officers left the area, Ms Jones added, but Thurling was spotted at his home by a witness and a short time later the complainer was heard shouting for help and screaming.
When police arrived they could hear shouting coming from the open door of a flat.
Thurling then became aggressive towards one of the police officers, pushing him to the chest.
He later admitted that he had kicked the neighbour to the head.
The complainer had been taken to Forth Valley Royal by ambulance around 5.20am and Thurling was arrested 10 minutes later. When Thurling was taken to Forth Valley Hospital for assessment in a police vehicle he banged his head against a cage and shouted abusive remarks at a police officer.
Thurling’s agent Frazer Mccready told Sheriff Hamilton that his client had been upset, believing the complainer. had taken his mobile phone, and “overreacted”.
Thurling had a traumatic family life growing up and began taking drugs - and his “vast” record, he added, was related to drug taking.
Mr Mccready recognised, given Thurling’s record, that custody would be an option, but stressed that alternatives like unpaid work were available.
Sheriff Hamilton however told Thurling the only appropriate disposal was a custodial one and sentenced him to 11 months’ imprisonment. The sentence would have been 12 months three months due to bail aggravations - but since he had pleaded guilty on the morning of the trial that sentence was discounted by one month.