A HUSBAND meted out a head-kicking assault on a man he believes raped his wife of 35 years when she was a child.

Graham Hamil attacked Douglas Simpson outside Greenock Health Centre after confronting him about the allegation, which surfaced only recently.

Mr Hamil, 54 — a first offender — claimed he'd merely punched Mr Simpson, 57, following the chance encounter but a witness saw the violent incident unfold.

The husband, who is diabetic, told a trial at Greenock Sheriff Court: "As I got to my car I looked up and saw Mr Simpson walking towards me.

"I told him he was rapist scum and he chuckled and said, 'I got away with it' and 'no comment'.

"He lifted his arm, and as he lifted it I punched him."

Assaulted Mr Simpson said: "He's married to my cousin.

"His wife accused me of sexually assaulting her when she was a child."

Defence lawyer David Tod asked: "Did he raise that with you?"

Mr Simpson replied: "No, if he did I didn't hear it."

He said: "I got hit in the face and I went down. I was kicked and stamped on. My nose and mouth were bleeding."

The court heard that an X-ray at hospital later revealed a fractured wrist.

Mr Tod put it to Mr Simpson: "Did you say to him you'd got away with it, laugh and then say, 'No comment'?"

Mr Simpson replied: "No, not true."

A health centre worker told how she witnessed the assault from an upper floor window at the health centre.

The woman said: "The man who was assaulted fell to the ground at the back end of a car.

"The other man kicked him several times to his head and back area.

"The assaulted man came into the health centre and his face was covered in blood.

"Blood was seeping out of his face."

Mr Hamil said: "I accept that I punched him as he was trying to punch me."

He questioned the eyewitness's account of the assault, stating: "There was a row of parked cars so her view would have been obscured."

Sheriff Daniel Kelly said he had 'no doubt' Mr Hamil was guilty of punching Mr Simpson and repeatedly kicking him on on the head to injury on May 14.

Solicitor Mr Tod said: "He has never been in trouble before, he is in his 50s and I don't see him being in trouble again."

Sheriff Daniel Kelly told Mr Hamil: "The nature of the offence is serious, regardless of why you think it was justified.

"I think what you've done is try to take the law into your own hands.

"However, this appears to have been a one-off incident."

The sheriff deferred sentence on Mr Hamil, of Arrol Gardens, for him to be of good behaviour.

The case is due to call again next June.