A THUG labelled The Terminator after Arnold Schwarzenegger's cyborg assassin was jailed last week for brutally-beating a middle-aged man in his own home.

James Hill, turned on the 53-year-old who invited him back to his home to share a £40 bottle of whisky, following a night out.

They sat up for four hours sampling the malt and listening to music, but when it was nearly dawn, Mr Grindlay decided Hill should leave and stood up and said it was "time for bed".

But Hill, who was said to have a "horrendous" record for violence, misinterpreted the remark as a sexual advance and called Mr Grindlay "a poof", before launching an "outrageous, disgusting" assault.

According to his victim, the attack moved from his living room to the kitchen, where Hill smashed the kitchen table with a single blow of a knuckleduster, then slammed the weapon into Mr Grindlay's ear, partially severing his earlobe.

He then picked up a wooden spoon, and "jammed" it repeatedly into the top of Mr Grindlay's head.

In addition, he put his arm round his neck, applying pressure and trying to choke him, and tried to take his mobile phone to stop him ringing 999, before Mr Grindlay's flatmates were woken up by the noise and intervened.

The details of the case were heard at Stirling Sheriff Court on Friday, April 7, with Hill appearing for trial.

Prosecutor Sarah Lumsden told jurors, who took just 45 minutes to find Hill guilty after a three-day trial: "Look at him – he is built like The Terminator.

"He subjected [the victim] to a violent, unprovoked, and sustained attack in his own home – a place where somebody should feel safe."

The complainer was left with numerous cuts and extensive bruises and has a permanent scar on his earlobe.

He told the court: "It was pure, macho aggression. I didn't understand where it had come from."

But he admitted inviting Hill back to his flat in Wallace Street, Stirling,after speaking to him in the outdoor smoking area at the city's Fubar club – despite saying in evidence that he had noticed he had a knuckleduster.

Hill, of Churchill Street, Alloa, had pleaded not guilty to the assault, and insisted he'd never had a knuckleduster.

The 32-year-old said the complainer had rubbed his leg, and claimed he was struck first on the nose.

He also told police that when his victim invited him home, he had told him that he had drink and drugs at the flat.

Virgil Crawford, defending, questioned the complainer's account.

He said: "After four hours, suddenly this man's got a knuckleduster and is calling this other man a poof. It's not credible."

The wooden spoon was found in the flat, with blood on it. No knuckleduster was ever recovered.

In their majority verdict, the jury found Hill guilty of assaulting the man to his injury and permanent disfigurement, but asked for references to the knuckleduster and wooden spoon to be deleted from the final charge.

The incident occurred on November 26 last year.

Hill was on bail at the time for his part in a 2015 alleged baseball-bat-armed robbery of a mini-market in Alloa, an incident in respect of which he was later convicted of a reduced charge of causing a breach of the peace by entering the shop with his face partially masked and asking for money.

Sheriff William Gilchrist said Hill had a very extensive record of violence, often involving the use of weapons.

Jailing him for 18 months, and also imposing a nine-month supervised release order, he said: "You have 17 previous convictions involving some degree of violence or abusive behaviour.

"You have had a number of non-custodial disposals in the past, most of which appear to have been breached, and also previous custodial sentences. Neither seem to have had the desired effect.

"It seems clear you remain a risk.

"I do not necessarily believe that a custodial sentence will rehabilitate you, but at least it will temporarily remove you from society."

Hill smiled as he was handcuffed and led to the cells by two security guards.