Judge says '˜LOL' as he jails man over Facebook boast

A thug spared prison for his part on a street attack on a vulnerable man was finally locked up after boasting on Facebook about not being jailed.

Newlands was jailed at the High Court in Glasgow. File picture: John Devlin

David Newlands, 24, from Glasgow, was ordered to carry out 150 hours community service at the High Court in Glasgow after being convicted of punching 27-year-old Ivor Miller in Glasgow city centre last year.

But Newlands refused to perform the unpaid work and twice was given another chance by Judge Norman Ritchie.

Hours after that second appearance at court Newlands boasted on social media “I’m out bro, easy.”

Newlands also said: “People wonder y this country is f****d? A got a high court conviction n they never sent me eh jail instead gave me a community order ..told them to stick it up ther pipe so got sent back to court n what do they dae ? The judge says mr Newlands I would refer to you as an idiot..n then what does he dae ? He geez me it again f*** c.s (community service) n f*** probation am no dayn it simple !!! F*** the polis !!!”

Newlands, who was represented by advocate John McElroy, admitted breaching the order.

Judge Ritchie told him: “It’s always interesting to see a different view on sentencing as in ‘I’m out bro easy.’ As they say, ‘LOL’.”

The judge added: “I gave you two chances. You didn’t take the chances. I hope you don’t think I’m doing this out of anger. In truth it enlivened what was otherwise a dull day.”

He ordered Newlands, who is currently serving an eight month sentence for assault and breach of the peace, to be jailed for nine months. Newlands will serve the latest sentence when his current sentence ends.

Mr McElroy said: “When he last appeared in my lord’s court you quite correctly told him he was an idiot. He then became not just an idiot, but an idiot who drank and wrote on Facebook.”

The court heard that the Facebook comments were brought to the judge’s attention by social workers who prepared a background report on Newlands.

Eight people admitted charges after Mr Miller was wrongly branded “a beast” and chased until he threw himself out of a flat window.

In December last year Newlands was one of a number of people involved in chasing Mr Miller along two city centre streets.

The 27-year-old tried to hide in two pubs before he fled into a derelict flat and jumped out a second floor window suffering severe injury.

Eight people pleaded guilty to various charges relating to the incident in August 4, last year.