GLASGOW MAN SENTENCED FOR BRUTAL ASSAULT ON GIRL AGED 9 WITH BUCKFAST BOTTLE
A man named Martin Hackett has been sentenced to four and a half years in prison for attacking a nine-year-old girl with a Buckfast bottle in Glasgow, leaving her with a permanent scar.Hackett, aged 26 at the time, reportedly grabbed the girl by her hair, dragged her into bushes, and repeatedly struck her with the bottle.
The incident took place on 22 June 2012, and the girl, who was returning from shopping at Asda in Govan, testified via video link during the trial.
The court heard that Hackett had been drinking from a Buckfast bottle near where the assault occurred, which was captured on CCTV footage shown during the trial.
The judge, Sheriff Kenneth Mitchell, described the crime as "very serious indeed".
Hackett was found guilty of causing severe injury, disfigurement, and the danger of life to the girl.
In addition to the jail sentence, Hackett was ordered to be under community supervision for two years after his release.
The solicitor defending Hackett indicated that he would need to leave the area upon release.
The court also found Hackett guilty of threatening or abusive behavior at a flat in Inverness Street.
The girl described the attack saying, "I got dragged along then I just felt a bottle repeatedly hit me, not just a couple of times I would say about 10 times," and expressed her fear by stating, "Relieved it wasn't going to continue, I thought I was going to die." During the trial, CCTV footage of Hackett drinking was shown to the jury, highlighting his intoxication at the time of the attack.
