Thug caged for brutal attacks

Jun 18 2009

A HAMILTON thug was jailed for a total of three years and nine months last week for viciously attacking two men and trying to rob one of them with a bottle.

Sheriff Frank Pieri also imposed a supervised release order on George McCann jnr, placing him on 12-months’ supervision after serving the sentence.

The order, said Sheriff Pieri, was necessary “to protect the public from serious harm.”

McCann, of Townhill Road, had denied carrying out the attacks on Darren Brown on June 7, 2007, and Christopher McStravock on January 17 this year when he appeared at the court.

However, following a four-day trial at Hamilton Sheriff Court, a jury found the 20-year-old guilty on charges of assault to injury and assault to severe injury.

McCann, the sheriff court was told, brandished the bottle at Darren Brown in Hillhouse Road and threatened him with violence.

He then demanded that Mr Brown hand over money and items of personal property before making more violent threats and striking him on the body with the bottle.

McCann then attacked McStravock by repeatedly punching him on the head, the court was told.

Both offences were committed while McCann was on bail on another matter.

Constable Scott Murphy had told the jury that he saw McCann carry out a frenzied punching attack on McStravock at the Quarry Street railway bridge.

The officer had been responding to a report that two males had been acting aggressively in nearby Maverix Bar.

When they arrived, a door steward pointed to McCann, further up the street, as being one of the males who had been causing a nuisance.

Constable Murphy said McCann “rained down” blows on McStravock.

He ran to the scene to take hold of McCann and saw that McStravock was bleeding badly from a facial injury.

McCann was put in a police vehicle after officers restrained him and an ambulance arrived to take McStravock to hospital.

When McStravock was questioned earlier by the fiscal depute, however, he said he did not know who was responsible for the attack.