Drunken manbeat upworried neighbour

A Coatbridge man has been ordered to pay £800 compensation after an unprovoked attack on his former neighbour.

Jordan Cook must also complete 180 hours of unpaid community work as a direct alternative to a prison sentence.

Cook, 21, was sentenced at Hamilton Sheriff Court last week.

He admitted threatening and assaulting his male victim, then aged 63, in Bellshill on April 23 last year.

The court heard that Cook was intoxicated and wrongly thought that his neighbour was staring at him when, in fact, the man was simply concerned for his welfare.

Cook, who now lives in Springhill Avenue, Coatbridge, knocked the man to the ground before punching and kicking him repeatedly on the head and body.

The victim’s injuries were not particularly serious, but he did need hospital treatment following the incident.

Defence agent Ian Scott pointed out to the court that his client has no previous convictions and a social worker who interviewed him believed the attack was “a one-off ”.

The lawyer added: “He has moved from the area and has a child on the way.

“That should keep him out of further trouble.”

Passing sentence, Sheriff Ray Small told Cook he had carried out a “nasty” assault.

He stated: “This neighbour was minding his own business in his garden and was concerned about your behaviour.

“He was about three times your age and you were drunk.

“You were acting in a paranoid and delusional manner.

“You thought that he was looking at you and that annoyed you.

But he was looking because you were behaving oddly.

“The neighbour was concerned and he ended up in hospital because of what you did.”

Explaining why Cook was avoiding a jail sentence, Sheriff Small added: “You now have employment and are going to be a father for the first time, so I won’t send you to custody.

“You have a reasonable amount in savings and it seems that you should pay a substantial sum in compensation.”