A BORDERS teenager who admitted assaulting another male has been ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work and placed on a night-time home curfew as a direct alternative to custody.
Eighteen-year-old Owen Johnston, of Hawick's Wellfield Road, pleaded guilty to repeatedly punching a male to the head, pulling him to the floor and pinning him to the floor to his injury.
The offence happened at a flat in Northcote Street, Hawick, at around 2am on March 1, 2020, when a number of people had been in the property.
READ MORE: Galashiels man who was found in possession of screwdriver is fined
Defence lawyer Mat Patrick told Selkirk Sheriff Court the offence happened when Johnston was 17 years old and had been associating with negative peers.
Sheriff Robert Fife told him: "This was a serious offence. But I have been persuaded there is an alternative to custody."
He imposed a Restriction of Liberty Order between the hours of 7pm and 6am for the next four months and said that the unpaid work needed to be completed within nine months.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here