A THUG assaulted a man who was trying to protect his grandmother who was concerned about a group of youths drinking outside her flat.

Daniel Carson, previously of Troon's Telford Court admitted punching the man on the head, kicking him on the body causing him to fall to the ground at Mill Street in Ayr.

The 24-year-old appeared before Sheriff John Montgomery at Ayr Sheriff Court last week. The court heard how the complainer had been attending his grandmothers home at the time the incident took place.

Depute Fiscal Scott Toal said: "The complainer is a 22-year-old male. He noticed that his grandmother appeared uptight. She said it was because of the youths that were drinking at the bottom of the path of her flat."

The court heard how the complainer went and spoke to them about this.

Mr Toal continued: "Carson punched the man causing him to fall to the ground. He punched him two or three times to the head. The complainer pushed him away and managed to get away from them. 

"Carson was not present when the police arrived."

Speaking on his behalf defence solicitor Steven Maxwell said: "He [Mr Carson] was at the locus not just randomly but with the complainers grandmother's neighbours.

"I don't think that the grandmother was aware of that at the time. The complainer went to speak to Daniel but he did not know what it was all about and took a swing at the complainer.

"He had drank alcohol where he had unfortunately reached the stage that blows were being struck."

Sheriff Montgomery ordered Caron to complete 120 hours of unpaid work within six months.