Teenager pleads guilty to Tesco car park bash

May 20 2009 by Our Correspondent, Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser

A CHAPELHALL teenager pleaded guilty to hitting a man with a bottle in a drunken late-night fight in a supermarket car park.

Marshall Thomson was sentenced to 110 hours of community service for his “gross stupidity” in assaulting the man near Tesco inFaraday retail park.

Airdrie Sheriff Court heard that a “verbal altercation” broke out between Thomson, his victim and their respective friends at 4.30am after a night out, and that it soon degenerated into a fist fight.

The fiscal depute said: “The accused was in possession of a bottle and struck the victim on the left side of the forehead.

“Police were contacted as the parties continued to fight, but neither side wished to make a complaint at the time.

“The complainer then went to Monklands Hospital at 4.55am and received four stitches, and then went to the police office.”

Thomson’s solicitor noted: “This just got out of hand as the result of alcohol. Fortified by drink, he becomes involved and had a glass bottle in his hand which he used.

“Thomson wants to accept full responsibility for his part in this and has expressed remorse and concern for his victim.

“He has had a serious fright and since this his drinking has been seriously curtailed – this will be a lesson to him and I hope he’ll never be back in this court.”

Nineteen-year-old Thomson, of Honeywell Crescent, admitted assaulting his victim by repeatedly punching and kicking him on the head and body and striking him on the head with the bottle.

Sheriff Alf Vannet said: “That’s the mischief here – young men have too much to drink and get into fights but to use a bottle takes you into a different situation.

“You’re moving into a different arena altogether as it’s a matter of luck as you could have caused very serious injury and found yourself in a higher court.

“Now you have an assault conviction which will follow you about, and you might find it causes you difficulties with things you want to do in the future like travelling abroad.

“Your employers seem to value you and there’s alternative to custody in dealing with it, in community service.”