By Mike McQuaid
Contributor
A man with a history of violent behaviour attacked a police officer, leaving him with a cut above his eye and a scar.
PC Ryan Sommerville was off work for three weeks following the incident, Hamilton Sheriff Court was told.
Kieran Leggat, 27, was jailed for 22 months when he admitted assaulting the officer in Bruce Street, Bellshill, on March 29 last year.
He also admitted carrying a locking knife in public without reasonable excuse.
Neil Thomson, prosecuting, said the assault happened after police officers had suspicions about a BMW car and pulled it over.
Leggat got out of the vehicle and ran off, chased by PC Sommerville who caught him at the entrance to a block of flats.
A struggle ensued during which the officer was punched and kicked repeatedly about the head and body.
Leggat also used his elbow in an attempt to break free and pushed his fingers into PC Sommerville’s eyes.
The officer sustained a cut over his eyebrow that was treated with surgical glue. It resulted in a scar that has since faded, and the court heard he also had bruising and scratches to his face.
It took five officers to calm down the situation.
Leggat was arrested and taken to Motherwell police station where a knife was discovered after he was searched.
Three other men were also detained, but their not guilty pleas to the charge of assaulting PC Sommerville were accepted.
Leggat was also accused of trying to bite PC Amy Somers, grabbing her PAVA spray and spraying it in her face, but his not guilty plea to that charge was accepted.
Leggat has been jailed previously for offences involving disorder and threatening behaviour with a knife.
Referring to the latest incident, defence lawyer Scott Jones said his client felt PC Sommerville had been “heavy-handed” towards him.
Nonetheless, he took responsibility for his behaviour and had demonstrated “regret and remorse”.
Sheriff Mungo Bovey noted that Leggat has parental responsibilities and told him: “I’m sorry to see you are still behaving in this way when you should be a role model.
“The carrying of knives endangers the lives of you and others, and cannot be tolerated. This seems to have been quite an attack on the constable.”
Leggat was jailed for 22 months, reduced from 24 months because of the guilty pleas on the day of his trial.
However, since he had been held in custody pending trial, the sentence was backdated to March 29 last year.