Drunk man assaulted neighbour on doorstep returning to wrong flat

A drunk man assaulted a pensioner on his doorstep after he wrongly believed it was his flat.

Toby Pilkington, 21, attacked his neighbour, 67, at the property in Glasgow’s Hyndland on November 10 last year.

The cafe worker repeatedly punched the victim and left him with bruised ribs as well as a collapsed lung.

Pilkington laughed at his victim before he left the scene.

However, he was later caught as he dropped his mobile phone and provisional driving licence.

Pilkington pled guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court to assaulting the man to his severe injury and permanent impairment.

Sheriff Joan Kerr ordered Pilkington to do 210 hours of unpaid work and put him under supervision for two years.

Pilkington will also pay the man £800 in compensation after he was unable to go on his pre-booked holiday.

The court earlier heard that the man and his wife were woken up at 4.45am before he came to find Pilkington standing at the entrance to the common close wearing dark clothing.

Witnesses later heard the pair shouting in the street, with one of the men heard to say: “Mon then.”

Pilkington started to assault the victim by punching him to the head multiple times, causing him to fall to the ground. He then sat on top of him and continued to punch him to the body.

The victim’s wife looked out her window to see her husband lying on the ground with Pilkington “standing over him laughing” before fleeing the scene.

The victim went on to find Pilkington’s phone and provisional driving licence which was passed on to the police.

The pensioner went to hospital, having suffered pain to his knees, a sore hand and cuts to his knuckles.

He also sustained tenderness to his chest wall, grazing to his knees, a wound to his forehead, as well as pain and swelling to his fingers.

The victim further received three fractures to his ribs and a collapsed lung.

Pilkington was traced at his home and stated that he had no recollection of the incident.

Alison Miller, defending, told the court that her client had been out drinking a friend, returned home, went out again before he walked to the wrong flat.

The lawyer stated that Mr McCulloch initially “prodded” Pilkington on the chest.