Dylan Kenmure, 28, was jailed for 18 months at Hamilton Sheriff Court after admitting assaulting a 17-year-old to his severe injury and permanent disfigurement. The incident occurred in Brandon Parade, Motherwell, on March 20 this year.
Football game leads to confrontation
Prosecutor Kevin Morrow told the court that the victim and his friends were playing football in the town centre late in the evening. Kenmure arrived and joined the game. He kicked the ball over a wall, leading the youths to become hostile, shouting comments such as 'F*** off, junkie'. Kenmure ran towards the group and lunged at one youth, striking him with an unknown sharp implement and dragging it across his face.
The victim defended himself, lifted Kenmure off his feet, and threw him to the ground. Onlookers intervened and separated them, and police were contacted. The victim was taken to hospital and received four stitches to a cheek wound and three stitches to a cut on his lip.
Self-defence claim and background
Kenmure was traced the next day and told police he had acted in self-defence, claiming the youth had a knife. Defence agent Scott Jones said the incident started for a trivial reason when the ball was kicked out of reach. 'My client heard comments from the crowd and feared he might be stabbed or slashed. None of this excuses what happened and he takes full responsibility,' Jones said.
Jones noted that Kenmure, a father of two, had himself been stabbed and seriously wounded at age 17, suffering from PTSD, anxiety, and depression as a result. Sheriff Kevin McCallum KC said Kenmure should have known better than to use a weapon given his experience as a victim of knife crime. The sheriff noted two previous assault convictions and said a jail sentence was inevitable.
