Thug finedfor attackat cityhotel

A thug who attacked a man at Stirling Highland Hotel in the top of the town was last week fined £550.

Stephen Yates had assaulted Michael McIvor by repeatedly punching him on the head there on December 3 last year.

The 55-year-old had originally been charged with kicking Mr Yates on the head at the Spittal Street hotel, but pleaded guilty to an amended charge.

Following the plea in mitigation, Sheriff Derek Reekie told Yates he recognised the accused was not proud of his behaviour.

He added: “This stranger got too close. It wasn’t him who started it. It was your girlfriend who made some stupid comment and he has reacted.

“It sounds like he may have been perfectly entitled to react him this particular way.

“You straddled him and kept punching him. It’s fortunate he wasn’t injured.

“He did land on the ground and you followed through.”

Sheriff Reekie said there was no merit in deferring sentence on Yates, of Hamilton, adding that he hoped he had learned his lesson.

He noted Yates was in work and told him he was looking at a financial penalty.

Sheriff Reekie told him: “The chap you punched is sitting (elsewhere in the building) waiting to tell the court the circumstances in which he came to be punched. There is not a great deal of value (in a fine discount) at this stage of proceedings.”

He fined Yates £550 discounted from £600. The sum was payable at £10 per week.