Violent thug broke curfew

Dec 16 2008 Paisley Daily Express

A YOB who smashed a bottle over his innocent victim’s head is facing a spell behind bars after he broke a strict court curfew which ordered him to stay at home at night.

David Sievwright had been electronically tagged and told he must not leave his house between 6pm and 6am each night after he admitted the brutal assault on teenager Jason White.

But he was hauled back to court for breaching the Restriction of Liberty order and a hearing has now been fixed to consider why he failed to comply with the electronic tagging controls.

The Sheriff, who had warned Sievwright that he would have to face the consequences if he stepped out of line just once, has been told the breach occurred as the accused was thrown out of his house by his fed-up mother when she became sick of his friends “taking over the house” each time they visited as he could not join them outside.

Sievwright, 17, had previously been warned by Sheriff Neil Douglas that he faced being locked up for the unprovoked attack last December.

Paisley Sheriff Court had earlier heard how his 17-year-old victim was smashed over the head with a bottle as he desperately tried to flee from a gang of thugs in Renfrew.

The victim knew there would be trouble when he heard the gang slogan ‘Young Remo’ being shouted but he could not run fast enough to escape.

Brutal Sievwright hit him so hard with a wine bottle that it shattered on impact and caused a horrendous head injury which needed 14 staples when he was rushed to Paisley’s Royal Alexandra Hospital for treatment.

Depute fiscal Clifford Most told the court that the teenage victim and his friend were walking home in Renfrew’s Craigielea Road at 9.15pm on December 23 when the attack took place.

Residents went outside to help the injured boy, who was left lying on the ground covered in blood.

Police were alerted and eventually tracked down Sievwright. When questioned, he admitted his involvement.

In court, he pleaded guilty to carrying out the assault, while acting along with others, inflicting severe injury and permanent disfigurement.

Sheriff Douglas had put the curfew in place to prevent Sievwright from leaving his home between the hours outlined and warned that, if he did not comply, he would face detention.

When he was brought back to court to answer the breach allegation, defence agent Charlie McCusker urged Sheriff Douglas to agree to a hearing so that the background which led to his client being in violation could be considered.

Mr McCusker added that Sievwright had broken the curfew as his mother had asked him to leave the house.

He said: “As a result of the fact that he cannot go outside to be with his friends, they have been going to the house and she is fed up with them taking over her home.”

The Sheriff said he wanted to establish if Sievwright’s behaviour – or the circumstances that led him to be put out of the house – were enough for the breach to stand and fixed a hearing for January 6 for the facts to be established.

He released the accused on bail, with a further curfew in place restricting him from leaving his home between the hours of 6pm and 6am, and warned him not to step out of line again.