An East Renfrewshire construction worker has been ordered to pay compensation after he assaulted a security guard.
Out-of-control Stephen McCulloch saw red when his wife made an allegation that a member of security staff was filming her.
The 46-year-old dad-of-two drove to Clarkston community centre to confront the guard and seized him by the neck.
The row erupted when the victim claimed he thought McCulloch’s wife was actually filming him from her car when she said she was just taking a picture of the nearby church.
Procurator fiscal depute Karen Yuill told Paisley Sheriff Court: “Around 7.20pm on August 10 last year, two men were working as security guards at the community centre.
“One male walked across the road to the shop and when he began walking back, he noticed a female in a white Toyota who appeared to be holding a phone and filming.
“The man made the other male, the victim, aware and he began filming and approached the vehicle and asked why she was filming. The female denied the claims and said she was recording the clouds.
“She then held her phone up as if recording. The complainer returned to the centre and took a picture of the vehicle.
“Ten minutes later, a tipper van arrived and the accused got out of it and approached the victim and seized him by the throat. The female came over and tried to de-escalate the situation, stating to the accused just to leave it.
“Prior to police arrival, the accused left in the van and the female left in the Toyota. Police checked details of the van and got the accused’s place of work and attended there the following morning.
“The accused was taken to Helen Street police office and made a ‘no comment’ interview and was released on an undertaking to appear at this court.”
Defence agent Mr Murphy told the court the lady in the white Toyota was the accused’s wife. He explained: “She is in court and fully supports her husband. She was at the community centre which is attached to a church. She took a picture of the church to send to a friend.
“Her point of view is the security guard came over and was argumentative towards her and there was a heated discussion.
“She phones her husband, the accused, and, what he shouldn’t have done is what we’ve heard; he’s come down and confronted the complainer. He has no previous convictions and this was out of character.”
Sheriff Eoin McGinty slammed McCulloch’s behaviour, stating: “This thuggish behaviour simply cannot be excused, it needs to be called out on each and every time.
“It seems to happen a lot on TV but what it doesn’t show you is you end up in the dock with a conviction, at the age of 46, that will follow you for the rest of your life. I will accept this is something out of character given your lack of record.
“There have also been a significant amount of amendments to the charge which allows me to deal with this today. If there hadn’t been such a reduction to the charge, I would have to deal with this in a very different way.”
Sheriff McGinty ordered McCulloch, of MacLaren Place in Clarkston, to pay his victim £700 in compensation at the rate of £50 per month.
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