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Daily Record
Daily Record
National
Lanarkshire Live

Lanarkshire thug fractured man's eye socket while on unpaid work community scheme

A man suffered a fractured eye socket when he was attacked while on an unpaid community work scheme.

Coatbridge offender Martin Russo was convicted this week of assaulting another male to his severe injury and permanent impairment.

It happened at the Restorative Justice Systems building in Bellshill in October 2019.

Russo, 33, of the town's Main Street, denied the charge, but the jury returned an unanimous guilty verdict after trial at Hamilton Sheriff Court.

The court heard the victim was punched twice to the side of his head after an argument.

He rejected a claim that he had been the aggressor and had thrown a table at the accused.

Russo, who represented himself, claimed the victim had then fallen over and injured himself.

He told the witness: "If you sow a bad seed you reap bad fruit."

Russo also alleged he had been bullied on the community work scheme.

He claimed to be "a law-abiding civil servant", but after the guilty verdict it emerged he has two previous convictions for acts of violence. He has also been convicted of threatening or abusive behaviour.

Sheriff Alasdair MacFadyen deferred sentence until next month for a criminal justice social work report and an electronic tagging assessment.

Russo was allowed to remain on bail meantime.

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