A MUSCLEBOUND thug battered two strangers after believing they had accused him of taking steroids.

Eddie Kirk bulked up naturally through visits to the gym but he saw red while on a night out after hearing one man saying his body looked “fake.”

He flew into a rage and attacked the man and his pal in Paisley town centre.

READ MORE: Paisley thug used Blondie hit to strike fear into former partner

The details emerged last week when 25-year-old Kirk appeared in the dock at Paisley Sheriff Court to be sentenced over the attacks.

He had earlier pleaded guilty to two assault charges in a deal which saw claims he had also behaved in a threatening or abusive way, challenged police officers to fight and assaulted one officer by placing him in a headlock being dropped.

Kirk admitted battering Robert Mullen and Ian Young in July by punching and kicking them on the head and body.

Sentence was deferred for background reports to be prepared and Kirk, who is also known as Edward Crossan, returned to the dock to be sentenced.

Defence solicitor Amy Spencer said that one of Kirk’s victims had called him “fake.”

She added: “He has taken this to be that his build is due to taking steroids and to say the situation has escalated from there would be an understatement.”

She said that Kirk knew custody was an option due to the severity of the offences but that there was an alternative available in the form of a Community Payback Order (CPO).

READ MORE: Mercy shown to grief-stricken Johnstone dad who was taunted by neighbour

Sheriff James Spy ordered Kirk, of Paisley, to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work over the next 10 months and told him he will be supervised by social workers for the next year.

He also find Kirk £250 for failing to appear at a previous court hearing and warned him: “If you don’t do the work, don’t turn up for appointments or breach the order, you’ll be facing a jail sentence.”