Judge's warning for teenager who kicked man to death

Published on Wednesday 14 October 2009 00:28

A TEENAGER who kicked a man to death has been warned he faces life imprisonment.

The victim was so viciously attacked that only one bone in his face remained intact, a court heard yesterday.

Michael Wood, 43, had fallen down a flight of stairs at an Aberdeen tenement and was lying unconscious when Thomas Main, 18, began to stamp on his head.

Pathologists found that the bones in Mr Wood's face had been fragmented and only the jaw bone was not smashed.

Main, of Balnagask Avenue, Aberdeen, admitted murdering Mr Wood, of no fixed address, on 9 June in Balnagask Terrace. He will be sentenced next month.

The advocate-depute, Derick Nelson, told the High Court in Edinburgh that, in spite of Main's youth – he was 17 at the time of the killing – he had a record of six previous convictions, including five for violence.

However, during questioning by the police, he said he had kicked the man "like kicking a ball." He stated that someone else had taken part in the attack, and added: "I didnae stamp on him, I kicked him."

Lord Bracadale called for background reports, telling Main he would receive a life sentence for the crime of murder. He said Main had used "extreme violence for no apparent reason".