A BINGE-DRINKING thug who tried to murder a bus passenger in a ferocious attack with a pool cue has been jailed for nine years.
Ian Clark, 21, hit his victim up to seven times on the head, breaking the cue.
Other passengers on the Lothian bus between Dalkeith and Edinburgh tried to protect Jamie Robertson. When police boarded the vehicle they found Mr Robertson, 22, slu
mped in his seat with his head soaked in blood. His girlfriend, Cheryl Collins, who had tried to shield him from the blows, was with him.
Mr Robertson suffered a fractured skull and brain damage. He has problems with speech, memory and concentration and now dislikes going on buses.
The judge at the High Court in Edinburgh told painter and decorator Clark that he had used "extreme violence" on the innocent victim.
Lord Brodie said: "Excessive drinking may be an explanation for behaviour, but as I have said too often in this court it is not an excuse."
Clark, of Mayfield, Midlothian, earlier admitted attempting to murder Mr Robertson on 11 May last year.
Alex Prentice, QC, the advocate depute, said the victim and his partner had been out for the night and got on the bus planning to visit a club in Edinburgh.
Clark, who was carrying a pool cue case, and his friends got on the same bus as the couple and he spoke to his victim, who knew him from school.
Mr Prentice said: "A witness overheard the accused and his friends saying that they were going into town to fight. They said that they had pool cues and were going to cause trouble."
Clark and his friends had bottles of Buckfast tonic wine.
The driver thought they were troublemakers and asked his control room for police help. He was told they would only come if he stopped the bus and waited for them.
The advocate depute said: "The driver felt that this might make the situation worse and continued driving."
A passenger on the bus heard Clark say: "I'm going to go up there and kill him with this." As he made the remark he took a cue out of a bag and screwed it together.
Clark walked from the rear of the bus and came up behind his victim and began repeatedly hitting him on the head with the weapon. He was described as holding the cue in both hands above his head and bringing it down on his victim's head "really, really hard".
Police were contacted and the bus stopped near Gilmerton Station Road, in Edinburgh. Clark and his friends ran off leaving the victim lying in the arms of his girlfriend.
The court heard that Clark was identified from CCTV footage and was detained three days later.
Mr Robertson received speech therapy, physiotherapy and occupational therapy after the murder bid. He also underwent rehabilitation and was discharged from hospital on 7 June.
Defence solicitor advocate Jim Keegan said all Clark's previous offending, which includes assault, vandalism and breach of the peace, was drink-related.
The full article contains 513 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
