Hunt for drunk who trashed pub windows

Nov 6 2008 by John Rowbotham, Hamilton Advertiser

POLICE were this week trying to trace a man who punched in a pub’s windows after a tiff with his girlfriend.

Witnesses say the man became angry after the blonde attracted the attentions of male guests at a Hamilton wedding reception.

He smashed three double-glazed window panes, badly cutting his arm in the process.

People leaving the reception found a 150-yard trail of blood from the Auld Hoose, Low Waters Road, where the reception was held on Friday.

Police probing the incident went to Hairmyres Hospital in the early hours of Saturday to interview a 26-year-old Hamilton man in connection with the vandalism.

However, he had left the hospital before they arrived.

Later that day, they went to a house in Craigbank Street to speak to the suspect but their efforts again came to nothing.

Chief Inspector Tom Aitken told the Advertiser they were following a definite line of inquiry.

Police have no indication as yet of the extent of the man’s injuries.

Between 150 and 200 people attended the wedding reception at the Auld House’s function suite.

One guest told the Advertiser: “There was an argument between a man and his girlfriend.

“Someone else was showing interest in the girl who was a good-looking blonde and wearing a miniskirt.

“She was attracting a lot of attention and her boyfriend didn’t welcome that.

“There was an argument inside the pub and a row outside and that was when windows were smashed.

“As I was leaving, I saw a lot of blood on one of the windows and a continuous trail of blood leading across Low Waters Road to the taxi rank at Cadzow Bridge.

“There was so much blood that I was concerned. I spoke to a man sitting in a car nearby.

“He had a seen a man coming from the pub with what he described as a tremendous amount of blood pouring from his arm.”

The guest added: “I was worried that without medical attention the guy would bleed to death, but thankfully an ambulance had been sent for.”

Paul Reilly, owner of the Auld Hoose, estimated that the three two-foot by five-foot double-glazed windows, smashed during the incident, would cost more than £2000 to replace.

He said: “The wedding reception had finished and guests were leaving the pub.

“The couple had been lovey-dovey all night but they seemed to fall out at the end of the evening.

“The guy flew into a jealous rage and my windows were the nearest things to take it out on.”

Mr Reilly said the windows were smashed after guests refused to let the man on to a mini bus that was taking them home.

“We heard glass smashing and came rushing out and saw all the blood on the pavement and on the glass,” he added.

“He put his bare fist through double-glazed units and that takes some doing.

“There was so much blood that he must have severed a vein or artery, but he walked away without any difficulty although he was still very agitated.”