Teen who left student with brain injury after college mallet attack avoids jail

A teen who left a fellow college student with a bruise to the brain in a classroom mallet attack has been ordered to do unpaid work.

Kian O’Neill, 18, struck the then 16-year-old at Glasgow’s Cardonald College on October 12, 2023.

The attacker, then 17, pounced amid an altercation between the pair, who threw sawdust at each other.

The victim – who later lost consciousness and took seizures – was left with a string of injuries, including numbness in his body.

O’Neill, of the city’s Pollok, pleaded guilty to his victim’s severe injury and danger of life.

Sheriff Gerard Bonnar said: “It is fair to say that an offence of this nature involving violence had serious consequences to the victim and should involve serious punishment.

“At this stage it would involve custody, however, I take account the spontaneous nature of the act in question, the fact you have no previous cases and nothing outstanding.”

The sheriff ordered O’Neill to do 225 hours of unpaid work.

Glasgow Sheriff Court previously heard that an argument took place between the pair in the woodwork department.

It escalated as both boys threw sawdust at each other, and the victim threw a wooden block, which missed the older teen.

Prosecutor Darren Harty said: “The 17-year-old walked to his victim with a wooden mallet in his hand.

“He raised it and struck the boy to the right temple on two occasions.

“The boy tried to protect his face, but the blows made him fall to the ground, and he struck his head off a workbench.”

The matter was reported to a teacher who the 17-year-old made admissions to.

When asked why he did it, he replied: “I don’t know why.”

The victim was taken away from the classroom but lost consciousness.

The boy also suffered several seizures before he was rushed to hospital for treatment.

Mr Harty stated that the boy experienced head and neck pain as well as swelling to his skull.

He also reported having no power in his upper arm as well as numbness from his right shoulder to his upper armpit.