Trio handed life sentences for 'mindless' attack which left father dead

• From left: Stewart Patterson, Dillon Cherrie and Dean Logan

Nachhatar Singh Bola, 36, was set upon for no reason as he made his way home with a takeaway meal in Renfrew.

Dillon Cherrie, Dean Logan and Stewart Patterson had been drinking and taking Valium tablets before carrying out the assault, in which Mr Bola was repeatedly kicked and stamped upon.

One of the killers later texted that he thought it was "funny" to batter the victim to get his kebab.

Mr Bola, an married Indian national who had been visiting relatives in Scotland, died in hospital around a month after the horror attack on July 2 last year.

Cherrie and Logan, both 16, and 20-year-old Patterson all admitted murder.

At the High Court in Edinburgh today, judge Lady Dorrian sentenced all three to detention without limit of time.

Cherrie and Logan were ordered to spend at least nine years behind bars, while Patterson was handed a minimum term of 10 and a half years for the murder.

Cherrie was given an additional two months, and Patterson an extra four and a half months to their minimum terms because they were on bail at the time of the offence.

Lady Dorrian told the killers: "The three of you were engaged in a vicious, sustained, mindless and unprovoked attack on a passing stranger. The violence was considerable and resulted in the death of Mr Bola and tragic consequences for his family.

"Such behaviour is frankly incomprehensible."

The court heard how the three met up around 4.30pm on the Friday of the attack and began drinking and taking the tablets.

Later that evening they went back to Cherrie's home at Victoria Drive East, Renfrew. There, a fight broke out and spilled onto the street, involving Cherrie, his brother and Logan. Cherrie also got into a row with his girlfriend around 11pm that night.

Around the same time, Mr Bola, from the Punjab region of India, was making his way home to Thomson Street with a takeaway meal.

He was chased for no reason and fell to the ground as he ran away.

Cherrie, Logan and Patterson then kicked him and one or more of them stamped on his head and body repeatedly as he lay on the ground unable to defend himself. They then left him lying on the street.

Police called to the scene found the victim was unresponsive and had blood coming from a head wound.

He was ultimately taken to Paisley's Royal Alexandra Hospital. By the end of July, he was found to have renal failure as a result of lack of oxygen to the brain. He also developed pneumonia and multi-organ failure and died on August 6.

The cause of death was said to be organ failure due to blunt force head injury.

Forensic examinations showed that Mr Bola's blood was on clothes belonging to all three accused. Footprints on the victim's jumper also matched the trainers worn by Cherrie and Patterson.

Prosecutors told the court Logan apparently sent various texts after the attack, including one along the lines that he had battered a man for his kebab because he thought it was funny.

Lady Dorrian heard that all three men have previous convictions for assault.

Kenny Donnelly, district procurator fiscal for Paisley, said: "This was an unprovoked murder of an innocent man by three youths.

"For no reason, they chased Mr Bola along the street and when he fell to the ground, kicked him repeatedly until he was so seriously injured he later died.

"Members of the public will rightly find this crime shocking and incomprehensible.

"Those who commit such crimes must be held accountable for their actions. The fact they had been drinking heavily and taking drugs before committing this crime is absolutely no excuse.

"I hope Mr Bola's family will take some comfort from knowing that his killers have now been brought to justice."

Defence QC Gordon Jackson, for Cherrie, today said a background report prepared for the case made "depressing reading".

"It would seem there has been a history of difficulties in terms of behaviour fuelled by, if not caused by, substance abuse," he said.

He told the court Cherrie, who was drinking and taking various substances on the night in question, "does not remember any detail of what happened".

Paul McBride QC, representing Logan, told the court: "There's nothing I can say that makes the matter any better. This, on any view, was mindless violence and appears to have been fuelled by drink and drugs."

Brian McConnachie QC said Patterson "never really had much of a start in life" and wanted to take advantage of the opportunities offered to him behind bars.

He added that the 20-year-old had been "shocked" when he heard the violent events recounted in court.