Thugjailedfor streetassault

A man needed stitches in head wounds after an attack in Wishaw Main Street in broad daylight.

Lee Jackson, 37, was jailed for a year at Hamilton Sheriff Court last Friday.

He admitted assaulting a man with a metal bar to his severe injury on March 20.

The prosecution accepted that Jackson, who was on bail at the time, acted under provocation.

The court heard it happened around 4.15pm on a Saturday afternoon and was captured on CCTV.

Jennifer McCabe, prosecuting, said: “The men were walking together and were in conversation.

“The victim put his arm around the accused’s neck and tried to sweep his leg away with his own leg.

“There was a struggle before the accused ran away and the man walked after him.

“Jackson then turned and pulled a metal bar from his jacket. He struck the complainer four times on the head with this and ran away, followed by the complainer.”

The victim was taken to hospital where five stitches were put in two head wounds.

Defence agent Diarmid Bruce said the victim had threatened his client previously, but on the day of the attack they were getting on fine and had been drinking together.

Mr Bruce said Jackson, of Greenlaw Avenue, Wishaw, didn’t know what had caused the man to act aggressively.

He stated: “It seemed to be something out of nothing. The victim is a much bigger man.

“My client was under attack, but he should have run away and not behaved in this way.”

Jackson’s record includes an 18-month sentence in 2019 after he used a potato peeler in a bid to rob a Motherwell betting office.

Sheriff Andrew McIntyre backdated the latest sentence to March 22 as he has been in custody since his arrest.