Jedburgh man jailed for attack on two teenage boys

A Jedburgh man who assaulted two teenage boys has been jailed for eight months at the town's sheriff court.
Jedburgh Sheriff Court.Jedburgh Sheriff Court.
Jedburgh Sheriff Court.

Thirty-six-year-old Thomas Hopkins, also known as McColl, will also have to serve another 120 days as part of an unexpired previous prison sentence.

He pleaded guilty to assaulting the 16-year-olds at his Jedburgh home and also in the town centre on the evening of October 16.

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The court heard how Hopkins had invited two 16-year-olds to his home to smoke a cigarette.

He told them he had been in the army and invited one of the boys to hit him, but the youngster refused.

Hopkins then grabbed him and put him in a headlock before punching him in the face, causing his nose to bleed. Depute fiscal Joanna Waller said Hopkins invited the youngster to hit him back, but he declined and both teenagers left the house.

Hopkins then went to the pub and on his way home encountered the two boys, who had met a 15-year-old, and they told him that was the man who had punched one of them. Hopkins reacted by asking the 15-year-old what he was looking at before punching him in the face.

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Defence lawyer Mat Patrick said his client had a patchy memory of the incident, due to drinking alcohol.

He pointed out Hopkins had been remanded in custody since October 18.

Sheriff Kenneth Maciver said they had been "unprovoked and unnecessary assaults on two young men" before imposing the jail sentences.