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Gang jailed for attacking off-duty police officer

Spindrift A woman with dark long hair and a lip piercing walks in a street. She is holding a phone in front of her with both hands. She is wearing a light-purple puffy jacket and holding a bag with her right arm. Spindrift
Lauren Neary has been jailed for six years for her role in the attack

A gang who attacked an off-duty police officer at a train station in South Lanarkshire has been jailed.

The group - aged between 14 and 20 - targeted Stuart Rochead with glass bottles and rocks in Blantyre in March last year.

A judge heard Mr Rochead has since had to give up frontline policing after 19 years of service due to his injuries.

Lauren Neary, 18, and Robert Faulds, 20, pled guilty to an attempted murder charge at the High Court in Glasgow.

Faulds was jailed for eight years in prison, and Neary jailed for six.

Alec Fallon, 19, and a 16 year-old boy - who cannot be identified due to his age - admitted assaulting Mr Rochead to his severe injury, permanent disfigurement and impairment as well as to the danger of his life.

Fallon was given a four-year sentence.

Google A general view of the train station, with a small ticket office can be seen on the right next to a car park. There is a a pedestrian bridge over the tracks joining two platforms. Google
The group attacked the off-duty officer at Blantyre train station

The younger attacker received 30 months in detention.

Faulds will also be put under supervision for three years upon his release from prison.

Some of the attackers fist bumped each other when leaving the dock.

The court heard they had been part of a larger group causing trouble on a train shortly before the attack.

They got off at Blantyre station at about 21:00, the same time Mr Rochead drove into the station.

Prosecutor Kath Harper KC said the gang "made no effort" to get out of the way of his car and he "clipped" one of them with his wing-mirror at low speed.

The attack began after Mr Rochead dropped off his daughter then went to check on the member of the group he had bumped into.

The assault continued into the driveway of a nearby property. It ended with Neary throwing a large rock on Mr Rochead as he lay motionless on the ground.

'Feral mob'

Judge Lord Arthurson said the group acted like a "feral mob", likening the account of the attack to a "dystopian genre horror film".

He added the sentences imposed were "considerably less due to your ages and the young persons' sentencing guidelines".

Mr Rochead needed a three-hour operation to rebuild his nose, the court heard. A metal plate was also inserted into his face.

His injuries have left him scarred for life and without feeling in parts of his face.

Mr Rochead has been told he will never be able to return to a front-line policing job as he cannot risk injury due to the metal plate in his face.

The court heard he continues to suffer from head rushes, dizziness and extreme fatigue.