A FAIFLEY man who viciously attacked the manager of a pub and restaurant near his home has been ordered to pay compensation both to his victim and another member of staff.

Gordon Young threw the contents of a glass at the manager of the Titan on Great Western Road before repeatedly punching and attempting to punch him on the head and body on April 3 last year.

A sheriff told 41-year-old Young last week that his “willingness to resort to violence is simply outrageous” – and blasted Young’s apparent belief that his behaviour was excusable by the “enormous” amount he had drunk at the time.

Young appeared before Sheriff William Gallacher for sentencing on Thursday after admitting assault at a previous hearing.

He also admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by making an abusive remark in the course of the incident.

Sentence was deferred until Thursday to enable social workers to prepare a background report on Young.

Phil Lafferty, defending, told Dumbarton Sheriff Court: “Whilst this does appear to have been an unpleasant incident, his age and lack of previous convictions demonstrates that this was out of character.

“His view is that the person he was dealing with didn’t help matters.”

Sheriff Gallacher replied: “If he wants me to have his situation regarded as so out of kilter because of the large amount of alcohol he had consumed that his perspective might be flawed, I’m minded that he needs to give something back to the community.

“His behaviour was hideous. Utterly reprehensible. He was asked to leave, didn’t, and punched this individual five or six times.”

Mr Lafferty said that after eventually leaving the pub, Young had returned with the intention of apologising – but was met with a “non-conciliattory attitude on the part of the manager”, resulting in things going further.

The sheriff replied: “He was wrong to start with. The person doesn’t respond in the way he thinks he should, and he thereafter assaults him again.”

Mr Lafferty said: “His position is the complainter wasn’t prepared to accept any apology and regrettably the matter went on from there.

“His behaviour, however reprehensible it was, is out of character.”

Mr Lafferty said Young, of Limekilns Street, would find a sentence involving unpaid work to be “extremely onerous” because of his full-time employment and childcare responsibilities.

“I had hoped to persuade the court a financial penalty alone would have been sufficient,” Mr Lafferty added, “but I clearly have to recognise the court is taking a view that goes beyond that.”

But Sheriff Gallacher said: “That matter was alluded to when the case called before, but I said I wasn’t prepared to do that. The suggestion I change my mind just because it would cause him inconvenience is somewhat unexpected. A financial penalty doesn’t seem to me to meet the gravity of the offence.”

Turning to address Young directly, the sheriff said: “My concern from reading the report is that you still consider that in some ways you were, if not entirely wrong, able to excuse yourself in some way from your behaviour.

“Your behaviour was disgraceful. Your perspective was flawed by the enormous amount of drink you had taken – even in the face of those people you were dealing with trying to manage things properly.

“I’m tempted to bring it home to you by sending you to prison. The community cannot tolerate your simply outrageous willingness to resort to violence and nor should those who run licensed premises have to tolerate drunken thugs. Thuggery is what you did.”

Young was placed under social workers’ supervision for nine months and told to carry out 100 hours of unpaid community work in that time.

He must also pay £250 compensation to the victim of his assault and £50 to a barmaid who was the subject of his abusive remark.

And Young was warned by the sheriff: “If you do not comply, the order will be breached – and do not understand that anything other than a custodial sentence will follow.”