JEDBURGH MAN JAILED FOR ASSAULTING TWO TEENAGE BOYS
A Jedburgh man who assaulted two teenage boys was sentenced to eight months in jail at Jedburgh Sheriff Court.The offender, Thomas Hopkins, also known as McColl, aged 36, will also serve an additional 120 days due to an unexpired previous prison sentence.
Hopkins pleaded guilty to assaults committed both at his home and in the town center on the evening of October 16.The court was told that Hopkins had invited two 16-year-olds to his residence to smoke a cigarette.
During the visit, he claimed to have been in the army, and he offered one of the teens to hit him, which the teen refused.
Subsequently, Hopkins attacked one of the boys by grabbing him, putting him in a headlock, and punching him in the face, which caused his nose to bleed.
The court heard that Hopkins then went to a pub, met the teenagers again, including a 15-year-old, and reacted negatively when the teen looked at him.
This led Hopkins to punch the 15-year-old in the face.Defense lawyer Mat Patrick mentioned that his client's memory of the incident was patchy due to alcohol consumption.
Hopkins had been in custody since October 18.
Sheriff Kenneth Maciver described the assaults as "unprovoked and unnecessary" before imposing the prison sentences.
