Sheriff’s ultimatum for thug who beat victim

A TEENAGE thug who attacked a stranger, fracturing his skull, has been told to return to court in a year with £1,000 to pay compensation to his victim.

Eighteen-year old David Gilroy of Ferry Road Drive, Edinburgh, had pled guilty at the city’s sheriff court to assaulting Christopher Cathcart to his
severe injury by punching him on the head in Bristo Square on 27 August last year.

Sentence was deferred until yesterday for background reports. Gilroy was a first offender.

Sheriff Alistair Noble had heard that the attack had been captured on CCTV and Lothian and Borders Police released images to the media. After they were shown in the Edinburgh Evening News, witnesses contacted the force and Gilroy was arrested.

Sheriff Noble told the teenager he would defer sentence for a year for good behaviour and that he should return with £1,000 in compensation for his victim. If he was of good behaviour and had the money, the Sheriff said he could deal with the matter by way of a community payback order and high number of hours of unpaid work.