Payouts to glass attack victims are nearly £250k

ANNUAL compensation payouts for victims of glass attacks in Scotland have increased to almost a quarter of a million pounds.

According to government figures, facial scarring was the most common reason for a pay-out in the 85 awards made in 2008-9,

The Liberal Democrat party has now called on the Scottish Government to clamp down on people who use glass as a weapon.

"Glassing incidents leave victims both with mental scars and with a constant physical reminder of the incident," Lib Dem justice spokesman Robert Brown said. "There is huge public and personal cost to these incidents."

According to the figures, 226,416 was paid out last year by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority for glass attacks alone.

A Scottish Government spokesman said violent crime is at its lowest level for at least 20 years.

"We have invested record funding to tackle violent crime and reduce alcohol-related violence and disorder," he said.