A THUG armed with a knife, who brutally attacked a train passenger with a glass bottle, has avoided jail.

Steven Millar, from Dalmuir, was travelling from Glasgow Queen Street towards Singer railway station on February 22, 2020, when he lunged at his victim, repeatedly striking him with a glass bottle and other objects.

The 26-year-old, of Burnside Court, also admitted possessing a knife which he did not use at the time of the attack.

Both offences were committed whilst granted bail on January 2020 from Glasgow Sheriff Court for a different offence.

His defence solicitor told Dumbarton Sheriff Court on January 11 that his client had gone to great lengths to improve his alcohol issue.

He said: “Although he was under the influence of alcohol, thankfully [the victim] was not seriously injured.

“He accepts full responsibility and now goes to some lengths to address his alcohol abuse. He accepts he is in the wrong.”

Sheriff William Gallacher said: “It says in the report that ‘his lifestyle is being organised because he has concentrated so much on circumstances and prospects of full-time employment but he can’t get at that yet because he is sorting his life out’.

“What is he doing apart from stopping alcohol to sort his life out since two years ago?”

The defence solicitor then explained Millar has attempted to persuade his father to employ him at his business in which “has not said no” to.

In response, Sheriff Gallacher said: “The view the report suggest is that employment is just there, in fact, the world when you walk past any business have people that are desperately looking for employees so why doesn’t he find somewhere else?”

Addressing Millar, the sheriff added: “This is a very close call that I am persuaded that I am not going to send you to prison.”

Millar was placed on a community payback order under 12 months of social work supervision. He is also required to complete 275 hours of unpaid work in the community within in 12 months and a further review has been set in April.