Attacker gets six years in jail

Monteith was jailed for six years at the High Court in Edinburgh

A man has been jailed for six years after an attack which left his victim with a broken cheekbone.

Stuart Dougan needed surgery to insert a metal plate in his cheek following the assault by Roberston Monteith, 34, in Stranraer on 27 May last year.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard the victim was repeatedly punched in the incident in the town's Moorefield.

Monteith, a prisoner in Dumfries, was jailed for five years for the attack and one year for a breach of the peace.

He had denied assaulting his victim to his severe injury and permanent disfigurement.

He was convicted of the offence at Stranraer Sheriff Court, but Sheriff Kenneth Robb sent him to the High Court to be sentenced.

The court was told that Monteith arrived at the house on the day of the attack and went into a bedroom where his victim was sitting on a sofa.

Without warning he began punching him on the face.

Previous conviction

The sheriff said: "Apparently some days before Mr Dougan had been heard to say he was not frightened of him and Monteith had learned of this."

The breach of the peace occurred several days later when Monteith approached Mr Dougan and threatened him with further violence if he reported the attack to police.

Monteith, who was previously jailed for a serious assault on a boy, was recalled to prison by the parole board following the latest offences.

Defence solicitor advocate Murray Macara said a background report on Monteith had assessed him as posing a high risk of reoffending.