Sword attacker who carried out beer can slashing is jailed

A thug who boasted about slashing another man in the face with “a scrunched-up beer can” has been jailed for 14 months.

Shaun Wildish was overheard bragging about the attack in the same week a sheriff granted him bail in relation to another assault charge.

Jailing Wildish for the weapon assault at Perth Sheriff Court, Sheriff William Wood told him: “You are a young man who is of grave concern to the court.

“You have already attracted a number of custodial sentences, mainly for violence and disorder, and seem to take no heed of the opportunities you have been given to address your offending behaviour.

“Being admitted to bail four days prior to this incident didn’t seem to have any sobering effect upon you. The only appropriate sentence is one of imprisonment.”

Wildish used a makeshift weapon to slash Alistair Maxwell after two groups of men clashed in a late night fracas in Perth city centre.

Depute Fiscal John Malpass said: “Mr Maxwell ran off with the accused chasing him. The accused caught up with him and assaulted him by striking him in the face with a sharp implement.

“Witnesses saw the accused running away and he was heard to say ‘boys, we need to run because I’ve just slashed him’.”

Wildish, 20, from Perth, admitted striking Mr Maxwell on the head with a sharp instrument in the city’s County Place on August 12.

The court was told he had been freed earlier in the same week following another incident, despite having a conviction from last year for using a sword to assault someone.

He was jailed for almost a year in relation to the other fresh case and was on bail awaiting the outcome of proceedings when he attacked Mr Maxwell.

Solicitor Paul Ralph said the weapon used in the latest assault had never been found, but his client claimed it had been a scrunched-up beer can.