A VIOLENT drunk attacked a 12-year-old girl in the street after the youngster tried to stop him from beating his own mother.

John Foxton (43), who was previously jailed seven years ago for killing an Alloa teenager, has this week found himself back behind bars for another callous assault.

The Sauchie man appeared from custody at Alloa Sheriff Court on Monday (November 23) and pleaded guilty to assaulting the girl and his mother earlier this year.

After attacking the 73-year-old, and attempting to push her down a flight of stairs, Foxton then turned his anger to a young passer-by who tried to intervene.

The court heard how the brute punched the youngster “five or six times” on the body after striking her with her own scooter.

Depute fiscal Susannah Hutchison said that on the morning of Saturday, September 5, Foxton attended his mother’s address on Main Street, Sauchie, while drunk and disorderly.

She told the court: “The accused became abusive towards his mother when she challenged him about his behaviour.

“He began shouting and kicked over furniture in the property. He then grabbed her by the throat...and shouted that he was going to kill her.”

The frightened woman managed to break free from him and ran into the street, only to be pursued and attacked again.

Foxton caught up to her just outside the flat, grabbed her by the hair and tried to bang her head against a metal railing.

At that time a 12-year-old girl, who had been playing in the street with her scooter, spotted the assault taking place and attempted to calm the situation.

The prosecutor said she pushed her scooter between the two in an effort to curb the attack, before Foxton turned on her.

He grabbed the child’s scooter and threw it at her, striking her on the body, before then punching her repeatedly in the stomach.

The assault only stopped when another passer-by in the street managed to pull the accused away from the girl and the woman.

When police arrived, they found Foxton, of Keilarsbrae, lying on the ground and shouting in a drunken rage.

The court heard the child suffered soreness to her abdomen while his mother complained of a sore neck and tender scalp.

When charged with the first assault, Foxton told police: “I’m ashamed of myself,” but made no reply when charged with assaulting the young passer-by.

His defence agent Mr Gray told the court: “My client has been in custody for this matter since early September and is well aware that a custodial sentence is the only course available.

“He does not have a long record, but it is very serious. Most notably, the sentence he was given in 2008.

“Mr Foxton has long-standing issues with drink and tends to get quite violent when under the influence of alcohol.

“He can’t offer much by way of explanation; he was so significantly intoxicated that he has absolutely no recollection of the incident.”

Sentencing Foxton, Sheriff Michael Fletcher told him: “These are very serious offences. You have a very bad record of violence and I feel there is other method of dealing with this other than custody.”

The sheriff then handed Foxton a four-month sentence in respect of each assault charge, to run consecutively.

The sentence was backdated to September 8, meaning he will be eligible for early release shortly after the New Year.

It is the second time that Foxton has been locked up, having received a term of six years and six months at the High Court for culpable homicide.

He had attacked 19-year-old Ryan Copeland in September 2006, following a row at a flat party in Alloa.

Foxton kicked the young man in the head twice while he was drunk and unable to defend himself, before then putting his victim's body in a wheelbarrow and dumping it in his parents’ garden.

The teenager died from his injuries, and Foxton was initially charged with murder. 

However, he was convicted and jailed after he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of culpable homicide.