A THUG who assaulted and injured a Gourock shop owner who had come out of his premises to quell a street disturbance has been jailed for 15 months.
Graeme Anderson, 25, punched the man twice to head at around 11 o'clock in the morning whilst still intoxicated from a drinking session the night before.
The multiple offender — who also admitted prison violence charges — lashed out after becoming involved in an altercation with a workman whom he'd drunkenly offered to help.
Prosecutor Emma Jeffrey told Greenock Sheriff Court how the shop owner was within his Shore Street premises awaiting a delivery when he heard the commotion outside.
Miss Jeffrey said: "The complainer tried to intervene.
"He was punched twice and sustained a small cut to the inside of his lip.
"The accused was traced to the car park area at the Battery Park (pictured) and he appeared to be intoxicated."
Anderson had also been charged with threatening to burn down the business owner's premises and with punching another man but his not guilty pleas to these were accepted by the Crown.
He carried out the assault at Shore Street on April 22.
The court heard how he also caused a violent disturbance whilst serving a jail sentence for another matter last October.
He scaled railings, refused to come down, attempted to incite other prisoners to disobey instruction and made threats of violence.
Anderson later assaulted three prison officers by throwing a television at them, and attacked an individual officer by punching his head and striking him on the face.
He admitted a further charge of being in unlawful possession of an offensive weapon, which was described in court as a plastic prison cutlery knife.
Anderson told a prison officer at the time: "You're lucky I didn't have a dagger — I'd have taken your eye out."
Defence lawyer John Lannigan said: "He took exception to being relocated to another part of the prison.
"Mr Anderson agrees that he should have used the grievance procedure but he took it upon himself to protest in this manner."
Of the Shore Street assault, Mr Lannigan added: "He had been drinking the night before and was in Gourock on the Saturday morning.
"He saw a painter working outside and made a comment to offer his services to assist and thereafter got involved in an altercation."
Sheriff David Hall backdated the 15 month sentence to April 24, when Anderson was first remanded in custody on the matter.