By Mike McQuaid
Contributor
A man has been jailed for 20 months after a police officer suffered a broken finger during a confrontation in a common close.
A court heard Dylan McSkimming “propelled” himself at PC Andrew Hamilton and a colleague, causing them to fall down a flight of stairs.
It happened after McSkimming caused a disturbance at his parents’ home in Blantyre, Lanarkshire, in the early hours of July 9 last year.
The 23-year-old admitted threatening or abusive behaviour and three charges of police assault while the subject of four bail orders.
Hamilton Sheriff Court heard he turned up at his parents’ home at 5am, demanding a phone. He was shouting and swearing, and smashed a glass fish tank.
Police officers traced him to another address in the town and tried to restrain him at the top of stairs in a common close.
“Let’s make sure that those who want to be police officers are fit to do so”
David Threadgold, SPF chair
Aga Mathieson, prosecuting, said: “He started to punch and kick the two officers and propelled himself at them, causing all three to fall down the stairs.
“McSkimming then headbutted PC Hamilton, bursting his lip. The officer fell and landed on his right hand, breaking his pinky finger.”
Another officer hit the accused on the arm, leg and head with his baton in a bid to subdue him.
Reinforcements arrived but McSkimming managed to kick and headbutt a third officer before he was finally brought under control. As well as the fractured finger, PC Hamilton was found to have bruising to his ribs.
The accused was also taken to hospital where wounds to his head were treated with nine staples. McSkimming admitted a long list of previous convictions.
Sheriff Louise Gallacher jailed him for 20 months, but backdated the sentence as he had been in custody since his arrest in July.
The sheriff ordered that he be kept under social work supervision for 10 months on his release from prison.
In 2021, McSkimming was jailed for 23 months following another run-in with the police. He gave a false name and spat towards one officer.
McSkimming was also in court in 2020 when he admitted trashing a cell at Polmont Young Offenders’ Institution.