Man lost sight in Hamilton pub attack

Oct 29 2009

A MAN lost the sight in his eye following an attack outside a Hamilton pub.

Thomas Speirs’s left eye had been ruptured during the incident outside The Bridge bar in Cadzow Street earlier this year and his eye has since shrunk.

Dr Amit Datta, of Hairmyres Hospital in East Kilbride – who treated him following the attack – told Hamilton Sheriff Court on Monday that Mr Speirs had been very upset when he informed him of the seriousness of his eye injury.

On Monday the accused, 25-year-old Alexander Holland, pleaded not guilty to a charge of assaulting Mr Speirs in Cadzow Street on March 27 to his severe injury, permanent disfigurement and permanent impairment. He also denied a charge of assaulting Mr Speirs’s friend Barry Martin.

Holland, whose present address was given as Addiewell Prison in West Lothian, lodged a special defence of incrimination, stating that the attack on Mr Speirs had been carried out by an unknown man who had been wearing a blood-stained top.

The attack on Mr Martin, he claimed in another special defence, had been carried out in self-defence.

Giving evidence, Mr Martin explained that at about 7.45pm he had gone to a DJ night at The Bridge bar with Mr Speirs and some friends who included two girls.

However, while there he was asked to leave by a bouncer because he had been caught urinating outside the premises.

Thomas Speirs and two others in the party remained in the bar while Martin, and an acquaintance whose surname was Jolly, went to a pub near the police station where they stayed until 11.45pm.

Mr Martin said he went back to The Bridge with Mr Jolly to get his mobile phone.

However, when he was “more or less” beside Thomas Speirs a tall man wearing glasses grabbed him on the front of the neck and “charged him” outside the front door across the street, hitting his head off a shutter.

As a result, his head was bleeding, the witness told the court.

At that point he fell to the ground and saw his assailant go back towards the pub and “go for Thomas.”

The fiscal-depute asked what he saw the man do and he explained that there was “a big group” of people outside the pub door and he saw the man with glasses swing his arm at Thomas four or five times.

The witness also said he saw the man with “a blunt instrument like a key” in his hand.

Thomas Speirs was in the middle of the road, he said, and two girls had their arms round him. His attacker had gone back inside a pub.

When he went over to Mr Speirs he noticed that his eye had been cut.

Asked if he would be able to recognise the man who assaulted his pal, he pointed to Holland in the dock.

He explained that the accused was familiar because he had the same build and wore glasses.

However, asked if there were any other familiar features, he replied: “Not really.”

The trial before Sheriff David Bicket was continuing yesterday as the Advertiser went to press.