A “very polite” offender who turns into a violent women beater when he’s had a bevvy attacked a female bouncer and a female chip shop worker on two separate drunken encounters.
Martin Thomson, 42, appeared at Falkirk Sheriff Court last Thursday having pleaded guilty to assaulting a woman at Marios Fish and Chip Shop, Main Street, Bainsford on March 2.
The charges stated he punched her on the head, seized her by the hair and pulled it, causing her to fall to the ground, where he repeatedly punched her on the head and body.
He also admitted another assault on a woman, this time outside Cheerz, High Street, Falkirk on October 28 last year. The charges stated he punched her on the head and pushed her to the ground to her injury.
The attack outside the pub actually involved an off duty member of the Cheerz security staff.
“It was 11 pm and she was on a night off,” said procurator fiscal depute Christa Lindsay. “She was at the pub as a customer. At around 12.30am she saw staff trying to eject the accused and she felt the need to intervene to assist them.
“She asked the accused to leave the pub, which he did. He returned at 1am and staff tried to intervene and prevent him entering. The witness ended up in the street outside the pub whereby she engaged in and altercation and the accused punched her once to the nose.
“This resulted in a scuffle and she was thrown to the ground by the accused before staff intervened. She was left with redness and soreness to her nose.”
The assault at the chip shop was just as vicious and again involved a member of staff.
“It was 9.45pm when the saw the accused enter the shop,” said the procurator fiscal depute. “He was under the influence and aggressive. He began shouting at the woman before pushing her to the ground and punching her.
“The woman’s sister intervened at this time and police were contacted.”
The woman was left with “facial abrasions” and Thomson himself was “covered in blood” as a result of the altercation.
He told officers he had been assaulted.
Mark Fallon, defence solicitor, said: “He is very polite when he’s not under the influence of alcohol, but doesn’t manage himself when he is under the influence of alcohol.”
He said the assault at the pub happened after a lot of “jostling” and “confrontation”, while the attack at the fish and chip shop happened after Thomson’s card was declined and he could not pay for a fish supper.
Sheriff Craig Harris noted that both offences crossed the custody threshold and the fact Thomson, 29 Bridge Crescent, Denny, had a number of previous convictions.
However, he also noted there was some “provocation” involved with the assault at the pub and took a “step back” from a custodial sentence.
He placed Thomson on a community payback order with the condition he complete 279 hours of unpaid work within 12 months.
Source – Falkirk Herald
