Man spared prison sentence for vicious assaults

A man who had carried out “serious” attacks on two men and one woman in Plean this week escaped a jail term.

Sandy Duchart, 27, had admitted three assault to injury charges on indictment under provocation: one at Torburn Avenue on September 6, 2019, an address in Torburn Avenue on the same date, and at Gallamuir Drive on March 15, 2020.

A co-accused 23-year-old Callan Duchart had been sentenced to 180 hours’ unpaid work last month.

The indictment on which Sandy Duchart appeared on originally included five further male accused, containing 24 charges in total.

At Stirling Sheriff Court this week Sheriff Keith O’mahony pointed out that the original indictment had involved “an ongoing running battle between two groups over a number of years” – describing the matter before the court as “a serious situation” from the facts established in court proceedings.

Sandy Duchart, had assaulted and injured a man in Torburn Avenue by repeatedly striking him on the head and body as well as assaulting and injuring a woman at a Torburn Avenue address by seizing her by the hair, forcing her to the ground, repeatedly punching and kicking her on the body, seizing her by the body and pulling her.

He had also assaulted and injured another man in Gallamuir Drive by striking him repeatedly on the body with a pole and repeatedly kicking and punching him to the head and body.

Sandy Duchart’s solicitor, Ken Dalling, suggested that his client had already been punished for the offences by the period he had spent remanded in custody.

He asked the sheriff to consider a noncustodial disposal – a restriction of liberty order – as an alternative to custody.

Sheriff O’mahony sentenced Sandy Duchart to a Community Payback Order comprising 18 months’ supervision – as well as a nine-week Restriction of Liberty Order confining Duchart to his home between the hours of 7pm and 7am daily.