Grandfather punched in pedestrian rage act

Lanark Sheriff Court'Hope Street, Lanark'15/10/13
Lanark Sheriff Court'Hope Street, Lanark'15/10/13

A grandfather with a heart condition was punched in the face during a ‘pedestrian rage’ incident on a Clydesdale road.

Lanark Sheriff Court heard this on Thursday when the attacker, 36-year-old Ian Guilfoyle, of 51 Hawfinch Road, Lesmahagow, appeared for sentence following his conviction for having assaulted Mr Daniel Smith on the village’s Abbeygreen Road, on April 24, last year.

The court heard that Mr Smith, a man who had undergone heart surgery and had limited use of his left arm after a serious car accident, had been driving from Douglas to Lesmahagow with his wife and granddaughter in his car at about 4pm when a pedestrian - Guilfoyle - suddenly stepped out from the pavement into the vehicles’s path.

Having to make an emergency stop to avoid hitting Guilfoyle, Mr Smith rolled down his window and said to him: “Mate; you’ll get knocked down doing that.”

Guilfolye responded: “So you want to do something about it?” to which Mr Smith replied: “Aye; watch out or you’ll get knocked down.”

The court heard that Guilfoyle then walked up to the car and punched Mr Smith on the face; the driver got out of his car but fell to the ground.

Alarmed, his wife got out the passenger seat and became involved in a struggle with Guilfoyle before he left the scene; police were called and they later traced and charged him.

On Thursday Guilfoyle also faced sentence for an earlier offence; on July 22, 2014 police responded to a call from one of Guilfoyle’s neighbours at his then home on Bakers Brae, Lesmahagow, reporting his “disorderly behaviour”.

Officers came to his door and heard shouting, swearing and loud music coming from inside. The officers shouted through the door for him to turn the music down and were greeted by the reply “.... off.” You are getting it.”

Eventually Guilfoyle’s door was smashed in with a police ramming device. Sheriff Nikola Stewart, describing Guilfoyle’s behaviour as “appalling”, ordered him to carry out 80 hours unpaid commumity work, imposed a three nonth home curfew order and ordered him to pay Mr Smith £150 compensation.