BOTTLE THUG JAILED FOR SIX MONTHS
Published 31 Aug 2012 09:00
AN ALLOA man who carried out a brutal bottle attack on a woman in a night club was jailed for six months.
James Tanner (35) smashed Vickie Baird on the back of the head with a glass bottle as she danced with friends in Klub 21.
She was in the Mill Street venue sometime after 1am when Tanner approached and tried to dance beside her.
Ms Baird ignored him and later on he tried to take her drink and then slapped her.
As she pulled on her jumper to leave, Tanner struck her on the back of the head - which was caught on CCTV.
As previously reported in the Advertiser, since the attack Ms Baird has had trouble remembering things and suffers from constant headaches. Tanner (pictured) appeared in Alloa Sheriff Court on 2 August.
Fiscal depute Susannah Hutchison told the court, "She [Vickie Baird] handed the drink to him and he slapped her. Ms Baird stood up and put her jumper on and the accused pulled it and threw it away.
"She then felt a skelp to her head. The accused was seen standing aggressively with a broken bottle in his hands and it raised in the air."
The assault on 18 December left her drifting in and out of consciousness.
Tanner was remanded in custody for the completion of reports and appeared for sentencing on Thursday.
Jim Savage, defending, said his client had been drinking while on a night out and couldn't fully remember the events.
He said Tanner, of Earn Court, was aware of the seriousness of the incident and was bewildered that he could have done something like that.
Mr Savage added that if his client tried to come up with an explanation for it now it would "simply be a lie" and that he wasn't trying to "escape responsibility" for the assault.
He said, "The offence was undoubtedly down to the large amount of alcohol taken on that night."
Sheriff David Mackie said, "I have come to the conclusion that only a custodial sentence will properly reflect the abhorrence of this kind of offending."
He added that taking account of the nature of the offence, the vulnerability of the female victim and use of the weapon only a prison sentence would do.
Tanner was sentenced to six months in prison, backdated to 2 August.
This article appeared in Alloa & Hillfoots Advertiser 29 Aug 12
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