A Bellshill man has been jailed for assaulting a 17-year-old girl just weeks after they began a relationship through social media. Dylan Young, 27, also threatened to slit the girl's throat and blow up her mother's house during their brief relationship.
Young was sentenced to 33 months at Hamilton Sheriff Court after admitting assault and conducting a course of abusive conduct. Sheriff Kevin McCallum KC also imposed a five-year non-harassment order.
Threats and violent incidents
Prosecutor Calum Frame said the pair first made contact on social media and started a relationship in January this year. On February 13, while texting, Young became aggressive and made threats including “I'm going to slash your throat”.
On March 8, an argument broke out at the girl's home in Dundee. Young grabbed her phone and warned, “Your house will be getting blown up tonight”. He was holding a knife at the time and said he would use it on anyone who came to the house.
The following night, the couple were at Young's home in Rockburn Crescent, Bellshill, when he became angry because the girl wanted to visit a friend. Later, he confronted her outside the friend's home in nearby North Road.
Attack and arrest
Mr Frame told the court: “He ran towards her and pulled at her repeatedly while shouting at the friend to leave. The teenager was crying and pleading to be left alone and then she ran away.”
After this, she and Young met up again and went back to his home, but she locked herself in the bathroom and texted her friend and her mother for help. The friend attended, and the teenager left the bathroom.
“Young became angry again, put her in a headlock and took her phone. He followed her outside and the witnesses describe him 'bodyslamming' her to the ground. He then punched and kicked her repeatedly on the face and body while she was on the ground. Her friend screamed at him to stop.”
The police were contacted, and officers saw the girl had swelling and redness to her cheek. Young previously served 18 months for stabbing another woman and hitting her with a bottle.
Sheriff's remarks
Sheriff McCallum told him: “You have an appalling record for domestic offending, moving from one partner to the next and offending in an outrageous manner.”
