A VIOLENT thug who fractured a man's eye socket in an unprovoked ferry terminal assault whilst 'very, very drunk' has been spared jail.

Jordan Junner was returning from an event when he attacked the victim in Wemyss Bay after suspecting that the man had threatened him.

Junner - who repeatedly punched him on the head to his severe injury in the flashpoint incident in June 2021 - pleaded guilty at Greenock Sheriff Court on the day he was due to stand trial before a jury.

His solicitor, Ron Mackenna, told a sentencing hearing: "It was three punches he handed out in response to what he took as a threat but he now accepts it was inappropriate."

The court was told Junner has a 'limited record', with his last offence coming nine years ago.

Lawyer Mr Mackenna said that Junner recognises he has a problem with alcohol and has 'taken steps to deal with that'.

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Sheriff Neil Kinnear responded: "It is no excuse that he was very, very drunk, I think it is an explanation as to why this occurred because he was very, very drunk.

"This seems to be somewhat out of character.

"The offence is of some vintage."

The sheriff told Junner: "This is a very serious offence, it is a nasty assault which seems not to have been initiated by something he [the victim] did.

"You left him with a fractured eye socket and he suffered significant injuries.

"You punched him a number of times on the head.

"It is never an excuse for offending to be drunk, however, it does provide context and an explanation as to why it occurred.

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"You do accept what happened was your fault.

"This seems to have been a one-off incident triggered by you drinking too much.

"I am prepared to deal with it by alternatives to custody."

Junner, of Fauldhouse, West Lothian, was given 18 months to complete 270 hours of unpaid work in the community as a direct alternative to custody.

The punishment was reduced from the maximum of 300 hours because of his guilty plea.

Sheriff Kinnear added: "You are mature in the sense that you have realised alcohol was the root of this."

Junner was also handed a 12-month supervision order with a requirement to attend alcohol counselling.