Do your community service or we’re going to have a problem
Sheriff’s warning to thug who beat up schoolboy
A thug who battered a vulnerable schoolboy has been warned by a sheriff to carry out his community service or he’ll have a “problem”.
Darren Worthington, 27, was spared jail last year for lashing out at the nine-year-old, who has behavioural and mental problems.
He branded the youngster “a wee c***” and a “wee b******”, spat in his face, grabbed the boy by the throat, and pulled his hair, causing him to scream in pain.
Worthington was placed on a Community Payback Order (CPO) as punishment for the offence in August last year.
But the CPO served as no deterrent as he attacked his girlfriend while they prepared to bring in the bells on New Year’s Eve.
He found himself behind bars in January following a prolonged attack on his girlfriend on Hogmanay last year.
The victim was forced to phone 999 twice and opened her living room windows to scream for help.
Worthington choked her, rained blows on her body, spat in her face and smacked her head off the floor, leaving blood on the floor and sofa and a clump of her hair on the couch.
He pleaded guilty to the December 31 assault, which took place in Neilston Road, Paisley, at a Paisley Sheriff Court hearing earlier this year and was caged for 14 months.
He was only recently released from custody for that sentence - and found himself back in the dock for a review of his progress on the CPO he was given for the attack on the youngster.
Defence solicitor Rhona Lynch said Worthington, who was unable to do unpaid work while in custody, had carried out 31 of the 240 hours’ unpaid work he was told to do, leaving him a balance of 209 hours.
She said he has been experiencing problems with his mental health and was waiting to be assessed by professionals.
Sheriff Pettigrew then told him: “I’m not going to set you a target, but if you come back here and there’s still 209 hours, we’re going to have a problem.”