Car yob is sentenced

Jun 18 2009

A BLANTYRE yob was this week ordered to carry out a total of 300 hours’ community service for an incident in which he drove a car at a man.

Steven Fellows had denied carrying out the assault on Christopher McGeogh (53) at The Cuillins in Uddingston on July 8, 2007.

However, following a three-day trial at Hamilton Sheriff Court, a jury found 23-year-old Fellows guilty of the offence by majority verdict.

Giving evidence, Mr McGeogh said his living room window had been smashed the night of the incident.

His daughter pursued the culprit, who Mr McGeogh identified as the accused.

However, Fellows, he said, jumped into a car and drove off.

Mr McGeogh explained to the court that he was standing in the street with a neighbour about 25 minutes later when the car, driven by Fellows, accelerated and the men had to jump to avoid the vehicle.

The accused was later said to have confronted the men with a hammer in one hand and a knife in the other.

Fellows was found guilty of a charge of carrying a knife in a public place by majority verdict. However, a charge of carrying a hammer in a public place was found not proven by majority verdict.

He had also faced charges of assaulting a Neil Duffy and a Joseph Hayes by driving the car at them to the danger of their lives.

However, the Crown indicated on the third day of the trial that they were not proceeding with the charge involving Mr Duffy and Mr Fellows was therefore found not guilty.

The jury also found him not guilty of the assault on Mr Hayes by majority verdict.

Fellows, however, admitted a further charge of failing to appear for sheriff and jury proceedings at Hamilton Sheriff Court in August last year.

Sheriff John Miller sentenced Fellows to 300 hours’ community service on the assault and knife charges.

Fellows was also given 100 hours’ community service for failing to appear at court. However, the terms are to run concurrently.