Carluke man jailed for attacks on women

William McNair, 51, had denied the assaults, but he was convicted after trial.

Back at Lanark Sheriff Court on Wednesday, sheriff Derek O’Carroll sentenced him to seven months for each assault, plus a further two months for a racially-aggravated verbal assault on an officer at Lanark police station.

McNair, previously of Peacock Loan, Carluke, and later Lea Rig, Forth, assaulted Donna Hoey in Carluke on January 1, 2016, repeatedly punching her to the head, leaving her injured.

In that same incident, he shouted and swore at his former partner and later made racist remarks to apolice officer.

The court heard that his relationship with Ms Hoey ended, and he then began seeing Julie Norman, but in December last year, he assaulted her also, throwing a lantern at her head. It struck her on the head, injuring her.

He was remanded in custody then.

Following his conviction, sentence had been deferred for background reports, and these revealed that he still vehemently denied the assaults.

Sheriff O’Carroll summed up McNair’s position as “it was a conspiracy against him, and he did not do anything wrong at all”.

His solicitor was unwell on Wednesday, but Lanark solicitor Archie Hill stepped in, saying that McNair had started offending only in 2002, turning to alcohol following the death of his daughter.

Jailing McNair, the sheriff told him: “Two separate complaints, each involved charges of assault of your partner, very unpleasant assaults indeed, and you denied your guilt. Your evidence was utterly incredible. You showed no remorse then, and you show no remorse now.”