Mother shops bottle assault youth after seeing News report

Mark Reid smashed a glass bottle over the head of 50-year-old Sultan Miah in Dumbiedykes Road, leaving him with what were described as “horrific” injuries.

When the story appear in the News, the 17-year-old’s mother felt “shocked and physically sick” as she made the connection to her son.

The mother knew her son had been acting “odd”, insisting that the doors of their family home be locked.

Reid’s parents confronted the teenager and asked him whether he was behind the attack, which police had originally been treating as racially motivated. The teenager replied: “Yes. No. I don’t know.”

Reid, a prisoner at Polmont Young Offenders Institution, pleaded guilty at Edinburgh Sheriff Court yesterday to assaulting Mr Miah to his severe injury on September 18.

Depute procurator fiscal Karon Rollo told the court that Mr Miah had been walking to his home at Lochview Court when he was struck on the head with the bottle by Reid, then 16, in an “entirely unprovoked attack”.

Ms Rollo said Mr Miah made an attempt to grab the teenager, but collapsed as his attacker ran off towards Holyrood Road.

The court heard that a member of the public had been persuaded to buy Reid and a friend a bottle of vodka earlier that evening, and the pair had been drinking the alcohol. They had become separated, but Reid’s friend saw him running off after the attack.

Ms Rollo added: “The friend also saw Mr Miah leaning on some railings with blood coming from his head.

The court heard that Reid’s parents took him home in the hours after the incident and found he was “acting highly unusually”.

Ms Rollo said that Reid had “locked all the doors, closed the curtains and stated that if anyone asks for him: ‘Tell them I’m not in.’”

Ms Rollo said that the attack had been “highly publicised”, and a friend contacted Reid’s parents to point out the story in the Evening News

The parents confronted Reid then his mother contacted police to name him as the attacker. The court heard that Mr Miah suffered cuts to the top of his head and his left temple, and was rushed to St John’s Hospital in Livingston.

Exploratory surgery was deemed to be required and Mr Miah received three stitches on his head and two more to the left side of his ear. He also suffered other minor cuts and grazes and a concussion.

Sheriff Alistair Noble deferred  sentence on Reid – who suffers  from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) – until December 21 for reports.