A TEENAGER who carried out a vicious and sustained assault with a glass bottle in broad daylight in a Whitecrook street has been warned he faces a long spell behind bars.

The victim of the attack was left permanently scarred and suffering from a long-term nerve injury following the incident in Brown Avenue.

The 16-year-old attacker, who can’t be named for legal reasons, carried out the attack after telling his victim ‘stop mailing that girl’, a court hearing was told.

Kevin Doherty, prosecuting, told Dumbarton Sheriff Court the incident happened on the afternoon of Saturday, April 14, at the junction of West Street and Brown Avenue in Whitecrook, when the victim of the attack was walking from his home in Drumchapel to visit a friend.

Mr Doherty said: “As he approached the junction he saw the accused approach on a mountain bike.

“As the complainer turned into Brown Avenue the accused approached him and told him to ‘stop mailing that girl’, which appeared to be a reference to a girl they had fallen out over.

“The accused produced a clear glass bottle and swung it at the complainer, striking him on the right side of the head.

“The bottle did not smash. The accused swung the bottle a second time, striking the complainer to the right side of his face, close to his right ear.

“The accused was immediately aware of bleeding from his face and saw the bottle had smashed on the second blow being struck.

“He fell to the ground, and as he lay there the accused punched him a number of times to the face.

“A number of persons heard the disturbance and saw the complainer lying on the ground, curled up, with the accused kneeling over him and punching him.”

The victim of the attack was seen to be bleeding heavily from a facial wound and was taken to hospital by ambulance.

Police called to the scene were told the accused had been responsible, and he was traced the next day and arrested.

“He was observed to have a number of small cuts to his right hand,” Mr Doherty said.

“The complainer had a large laceration on his right cheekbone, with apparent nerve damage, as he was unable to raise his right eyebrow.

“He also had notable swelling to his left forehead and a suspected nasal fracture.”

Maxillofacial surgeons later confirmed loss of muscle function to the victim’s right eyebrow and forehead, while other experts were of the view that the scarring from the facial wound would be permanent.

Mr Doherty said the nerve damage was still evident when the complainer was examined two months later, but that “medical opinion is that this may well recover”.

Defence solicitor James Arrol said his client was a first offender and had “faced up to his responsibilities” by pleading guilty at an early stage.

Describing his client’s success in securing an apprenticeship through a charity since leaving school, Mr Arrol told Sheriff William Gallacher: “His life has moved on markedly since this offence, and I would be inviting your Lordship to move away from the possibility of a custodial sentence and impose a community payback order.”

Sheriff Gallacher replied: “He is getting on with his life. But the complainer has his face permanently scarred as a result of this act of savage brutality.”

Sentence was deferred until January 23.