Jamie Collins who attacked disabled child after drinking two bottles of Buckfast jailed

A man who attacked a disabled child after drinking two bottles of Buckfast tonic wine has been jailed for 40 months.

Jamie Collins, 36, left the boy bruised and grazed and with injuries consistent with a smothering assault on the victim.

Collins earlier admitted assaulting the child on May 26 last year at an address in Midlothian to the danger of his life by repeatedly striking him on the head and body and putting a pillow over his face and applying pressure.

A judge told him at the High Court in Edinburgh: “This was a very serious assault on a vulnerable child.”

Lord Doherty said the consequences for the victim could easily have been much more significant than they were.

The judge said: “I accept the events of that evening were out of character. I accept for some time before it you were suffering from a mild to moderate depressive condition.”

But he added that it seemed likely the major cause of Collins becoming violent was due to the excessive consumption of alcohol.

The judge told Collins that he would have faced a five year jail sentence and a further two year period of supervision, but for his guilty plea.

Lord Doherty imposed a supervised release order on Collins which will leave him under local authority supervision for 12 months once he is freed from custody.

Collins, a prisoner, was left in charge of the child while the victim’s mother went out for the evening. Another boy found the victim with a pillow over his swollen face and contacted the mother.

Police were called and the attack victim was taken to hospital. Collins was later traced to the Fort William area.

During an interview with police he said he did not remember what had happened and stated he drank two bottles of Buckfast.

Defence counsel Kenneth Cloggie said a background report prepared on Collins noted that he was appalled, ashamed and remorseful.

He said: “It is clear there was no planning in this. It has to be recognised that no matter what was going on here he stopped and he stopped of his own volition.”