Thug hit man with Hoover during drinking session row in Falkirk flat

William Reid, 47, grabbed the household appliance after arguing with his victim.

Stirling Sheriff Court heard today (Wednesday) that Reid and Craig McMartin, 37, had fallen out during a drinking session at a flat in Tamfourhil.

Prosecutor Sean Iles said: "The accused started punching Mr McMartin to the face. Mr McMartin said he didn't want to fight, and sat on the couch.

"Reid then lifted a metal Hoover extension pole and struck Mr McMartin six or seven times with it, to the face and body."

The Hoover blows caused Mr McMartin's lips to burst and bleed and he fled from the property.

Police arrived to find him outside.

Mr Iles said: "He had blood all over his face, lacerations to his top and bottom lips, and a pole-shaped indentation on his back, which was red and swollen."

Police followed a trail of blood up the stairs of the flat and found Reid inside. He swore at officers and told them to go away as they needed a warrant.

Told he was under arrest, he said: "I'll be out tomorrow anyway. Only shoplifters get the jail."

The court heard incident occurred on April 27 last year, and Reid, of Westfield Street, Falkirk, had not in fact been released the following day but spent some 15 months on remand before tendering a plea and appearing for sentence.

The father-of-four admitted assault to injury and statutory breach of the peace.

Ross Anderson, defending, said: "In his own words, on the night in question he'd been 'out his nut' on drugs and alcohol."

Sheriff Charles Lugton placed him on supervision, with addiction counselling, for 18 months.

He said: "You would inevitably have been receiving a custodial sentence you'd not already had the equivalent of that on remand."