A DANGER TO THE PUBLIC

Sheriff’s message to thug as he sends him to jail

A young thug who helped a friend win a ‘square go’ by repeatedly slashing the man his pal was fighting has been jailed.

Matiss Grigucs – who used a Stanley knife to scar his victim for life – was branded “a danger to the public” by a sheriff. A court heard police recovered CCTV footage from outside a restaurant in Livingston which clearly showed Grigucs carrying out the vicious, unprovoked attack.

Officers were also handed mobile phone footage which Grigucs sent his victim showing him holding the orange-handled weapon and chanting: “Your blood, your blood!”

Grigucs earlier pled guilty to repeatedly striking the man on the head and body with a knife at the pre-arranged fight at 7am on April 2 this year.

Medics at St John’s Hospital glued a wound on top of the victim’s right ear shut, inserted five stitches in a 6cm cut on his left cheek and put a further five stitches in a cut above his right hip.

Jailing Grigucs for 32 months at Livingston Sheriff Court on Monday, Sheriff Peter Hammond told the 21- year- old: “This

was appalling conduct. You attended an incident which was a confrontation between others and you did so armed with a knife.

“You became involved and you struck the complainer on the head and body with the knife to his severe injury and permanent disfigurement.

“This was wicked and irresponsible behaviour.

“You have an atrocious record, including a previous conviction on indictment for the same offence – an aggravated assault.

“You’re a danger to the public and only a custodial sentence is appropriate.”

Sheriff Hammond said he would backdate the prison sentence to May 8 this year, when Grigucs was first remanded.

But he added: “In my judgment, in order to protect the public from serious harm on your release, I’ll make a supervised release order for a period of 12 months.”

He told Grigucs he would have to undertake offencefocussed work on problemsolving and attitudes to offending.

He said the accused would also have to engage with NHS addiction services to address his alcohol and substance misuse.

In addition, he banned Grigucs from approaching or contacting his victim following his release without the prior approval of his social worker.

The sheriff warned that he would be returned to prison if he breached any of the conditions.