Man jailed after assault left pal with broken nose

A THUG left a pal with a broken nose after he made “sexual advances” towards him and his girlfriend.

Craig Stirling stamped on Iain Connell’s head and repeatedly punched him as he lay on the ground on Arbroath’s West Abbey Street.

Shocking footage played to Dundee Sheriff Court showed the men engaging in a fight before Stirling knocked his friend unconscious.

The person who filmed the attack could be heard saying “he’s murdering him” and “he’s killing him”.

A sheriff jailed Stirling, who was heard to shout “f ***** g result” as he was led to the cells, for 24 months after he pleaded guilty to the attack.

The court was told that Stirling, 43, and his partner Gillian Smith bumped into Mr Connell and invited him to their flat for food and alcohol.

Miss Smith was previously charged with attacking Mr Connell but her not guilty plea was accepted by the Crown.

Fiscal depute Stewart Duncan said the pair started brawling after it was claimed Mr Connell behaved in an “inappropriate” manner.

He said: “A fight ensued between them. The accused was hit by a trailing punch and the accused punched him on the head repeatedly, causing him to fall on the ground.

“The accused punched and kicked him repeatedly as well as stamping on his head.

“The complainer was eventually traced by police on the road with facial injuries surrounded by blood.”

Stirling was arrested and told officers: “He was making sexual advances to me and Gillian. Honestly, it was self-defence. He punched me in the close and I told him to get away.”

Mr Connell suffered a 1cm laceration to his left temple and a broken nose.

Stirling, a prisoner at HMP Perth, pleaded guilty to causing Mr Connell severe injury and permanent disfigurement by pushing him, struggling with him, repeatedly trying to strike his head, repeatedly striking his head and causing him to fall and, while on the ground, repeatedly punching and kicking him on the head and body before repeatedly stamping on his head, knocking him unconscious, on September 16 last year.

Defence solicitor Jim Caird said Stirling, who had been working with a voluntary organisation before being jailed, was trying to usher Mr Connell away from the street before launching his attack.

He told Sheriff Alastair Carmichael: “He is utterly ashamed of his behaviour.

“He has been a good friend of the complainer and it’s one of the reasons why he is so shocked at his own behaviour.

“There was an unsavoury incident in the house. There was a scuffle between them in the close. He (Mr Connell) was bringing trouble to the neighbourhood.

“He accepts his behaviour was entirely unwarranted.”

Before jailing Stirling, Sheriff Carmichael said: “The level of violence which you showed here was high.

“It is by fortune that the only significant injury was a broken nose.”

West Abbey Street, Arbroath.